The Web takes on new role in Iranian presidential campaign

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A dozen young Iranians tap away at computers in a headquarters so new the light fixtures are still being installed. Their mission: to post videos, messages, blogs and anything else to further the Web-savvy campaign that hopes to bring down President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in today’s election.

A keyboard click sends out images from the enormous rallies for their pro-reform champion, Mir Hossein Mousavi. A tap of a mouse updates his speeches and messages. It’s heavy with the themes of hope and change — and packaged in the green hues of Mousavi’s signature campaign color.

“We saw apathy among the new generation, but we also saw that young people wanted our society to change,” said Saeed Shariati, a 35-year-old activist who runs Mousavi’s youth Web campaign. “We thought using social networks, which they like, would be the best way to bring Mousavi’s message to them.”

If it all seems like a flashback to the cyber-smart campaign of Barack Obama, that’s no coincidence. The young brain trust behind Mousavi’s Web outreach is well aware of the trends and power in online politics. Many came of age during Iran’s first blog boom a decade ago and are as comfortable with Facebook and Twitter as any of their Western counterparts.

For the first time in Iran, the forces of the Web have been fully harnessed in an election showdown. It has catapulted Mousavi, a 67-year-old former prime minister from the 1980s, into a political rock star with the potential to pull off an upset victory with his promises of greater freedom and outreach to the U.S.

Still, the race remains too close to call, with a runoff also a strong possibility. The winner needs to get 50 percent plus one in the vote today; if neither does, a runoff will be next Friday.