Ahmadinejad: Iran vote 'real and free'

Ahmadinejad made the comments Sunday during a press conference ? his first since the government announced that he was re-elected to a second term in a landslide victory during Friday's vote. But his top opponent accused the government of voter fraud and many of his supporters have clashed with police in Tehran's streets. About a mile away from Ahmadinejad's press conference, young Iranians set trash bins, banks and tires on fire as riot police beat them back with batons. "In Iran, the election was a real and free one. The election will improve the nation's power and its future," he told a packed room of Iranian and foreign media. "Some believed they would win, and then they got angry. It has no legal credibility. It is like the passions after a football match. It is not important from my point of view," he said. Ahmadinejad also accused foreign media of launching a "psychological war" against the country; Kazinform cites China Daily. See www.chinadaily.com.cn for full version.