'Astronomical rigging.' Dissident group denounces election that installed hardliner in Iran

The main Iranian dissident group is denouncing their country's election of hardline jurist Ebrahim Raisi as president, saying his record of human rights abuses should have disqualified him and the vote that brought him to power was rigged.

"Installing a mass murderer and a criminal against humanity as the regime's president, is a sign of desperation that the regime has reached the end of the line and faces overthrow," National Council of Resistance of Iran’s President-elect Maryam Rajavi said Saturday after the vote was announced.

Rajavi joined many other world leaders in denouncing Iran's recent election for disqualifying candidates and other irregularities that suppressed voter turnout.

The outcome of #Iran "election" was predictable. But nevertheless, that #EbrahimRaisi has risen to the presidency instead of being investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance and torture, is a grim reminder that impunity reigns supreme in Iran," Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard tweeted.

Raisi was projected to have won more than 17 million votes, and his opponents quickly conceded in what Westerners said was an orchestrated election. Only half of the country's eligible voters cast ballots, The Associated Press reported.

"Despite astronomical rigging and falsifying the vote tally, the dimensions of the popular boycott were so extensive that the regime succumbed to announcing a lower than 49 percent turnout, plainly admitting that the majority of Iranian people boycotted the sham election and testified to its illegitimacy," Rajavi said.