Ahmadinejad and Mousavi rallies bring Tehran to halt

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran's election contest intensified today as Mir Hossein Mousavi, the moderate candidate challenging the hardline Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the presidency, mounted a massive show of strength in Tehran, raising the stakes in advance of Friday's landmark poll, The Guardian reported.



Mousavi voters formed a human chain they claimed ran the entire 15-mile length of Valiasr Avenue, the capital's main north-south road, the impressive turnout underscoring the formidable challenge that Mousavi represents.



The Ahmadinejad camp mounted its own rally, bussing in thousands of supporters to the city's enormous open-air prayer ground in a carnival-type atmosphere. The crowd was so vast and security arrangements so chaotic that in the end his bodyguards prevented him from speaking. Traffic across the city was gridlocked and clashes were reported between supporters of the two sides last night.

"It's very exciting to see but not clear that it provides a firm guide to who will actually win on the day," said one diplomat. "But at the very least it would seem to guarantee a high turnout."