Allegations of election fraud arise ahead of runoff in Iranian presidential race News
Allegations of election fraud arise ahead of runoff in Iranian presidential race

[JURIST] The Iranian Judiciary [official website] detained a number of people on suspicion of election violations Saturday, a day after Iran's presidential election and six days before the top two candidates face each other in a runoff vote. President Bush has criticized the Iranian presidential elections as undemocratic [BBC report], joining multiple human rights organizations concerned over the exclusion of all but two reformist candidates [JURIST report]. Candidates themselves alleged improprieties in Friday's original vote [BBC report], which resulted in a surprisingly close second-place finish for conservative Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [Wikipedia profile] behind moderate cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani [Wikipedia profile]. Iranmania News has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

South Africa becomes first country on continent to legalize same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriages became legal in South Africa on November 30, 2006 as the country's Civil Union Act, 2006 went into effect, making South Africa the only country on the African continent to legalize same-sex marriage. Read the Civil Union Act, 2006.