Painting Their Fingernails Green: Power of Youth Vote in Iran

They're young, they wear green, and they vote.

As disagreement over Iran's presidential election results spreads into the streets, it's worth asking what has changed in Tehran over the past four years to create a situation where a relatively moderate reformer candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, can challenge an incumbent hardliner, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Speaking on the eve of the election, Hooman Majd offers a simple answer. It's the youth vote. Iran is a young country, meaning that perhaps 75-percent of the population is under the age of 30. "The past four years have been very frustrating for them," Majd says. They've become politically aware and understand that who rules their country matters.

Watch the full program at FORA.tv.

Comments

[mmonarch]

Stop already. Fearless Leader Obama is cognizant of CIA directives. Or don't you think so? Give the people of Iran some credit. The people are doing it.

[Blaise Zerega - Huffpost Blogger]

For some evidence of the people's power, visit twitter #iranelection. Nothing but respect for the those marching in the streets and demonstrating the courage of their convictions.

[oxi]

Where was the respect for anti-war protesters here in the U.S. when the police started to crackthem down?

Where was the respect to anti-G20 and NATO protests in Europe when the police ruffed them up? Heck in London they rounded them up like cattle and detained them for hours, fired tear gas at them and cracked some heads, where was the outrage?

I guess you support the Iranians protest but could care less about the protests against the U.S., G20 and NATO. I see where your loyalties lie!

[oxi]

Try the Bush $400 million doing some of the instability after the election bud!

[wereeverywhere]

Once again there is no evidence that any of that went to the current resistance movement. Those brave protesters, 100's of thousands, are putting their lives on the line for...the CIA? Please think beyond the US. You slander those beautiful people with your wild claims.

[oxi]

Protest all you want, it will not change the outcome.

The police have no choice but to move in on the protests, that is what the U.S. would do except in the U.S. they would round them up after they tear gas them and crack a few heads, get vital personal information (to put them on a terror list) and release them with no charges.

[oxi]

Are you sure it is the youth vote speaking and not the CIA's $400 million directive signed by Bush to conduct clandestine operations within Iran to destabalize their regime, where vote rigging and hijacking would definently fall into this directive?

The CIA has done far worse so trying to steal elections is just petty talk for the CIA.

[wereeverywhere]

The CIA has done awful war crimes and they have been outed in many books. In these books you'll find these funny items called 'substantiating evidence' and 'footnotes' and 'research and documentat­ion.' You do a disservice to those body of work by crying wolf- the CIA did it! Not only is that a base and baseless slander against those risking life and limb out there as they make history. You are victim of conspiracy theory and owe the youth an apology because you do them a disservice also.

[oxi]

So you never heard of the $400 million directive Bush signed to conduct underground operations within Iran?

So your telling me none of that $400 million was used at their recent election? Kind of hard to believe your position and the fact the U.S. was never involved in trying to hijack the results and/or create instability after the election with english lettered signs for one example...

$400 million is a lot of cash!