Iran declares election vote valid, paving way for Ahmadinejad's second term

Tehran: A council of 12 clerics has declared Iran's disputed presidential vote valid and free of major fraud, paving the way for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be sworn in next month despite claims of vote manipulation that sparked weeks of massive protest.

The Guardian Council, an electoral authority the opposition accuses of favoring Ahmadinejad, it had found only "slight irregularities" after randomly selecting and recounting 10 percent of nearly 40 million ballots.

Opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi has said Ahmadinejad stole re-election through fraud and demanded a new election.

Conservative Ayatollah Ahmed Jannati, who heads the Guardian Council, said Monday that "meticulous and comprehensive examination" revealed only "slight irregularities that are common to any election."