Iran Election Diary

BERLIN (Reuters) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not congratulate Iran's Mahmud Ahmadinejad when he is inaugurated as president, due to the disputed election, a German government spokesman has said.

"In view of the circumstances of the controversial reelection, the chancellor will not, as usual, write the normal letter of congratulation," a government spokesman said.

Ahmadinejad is due to be sworn in by parliament for a second term on August 5.

Just a few hours after President Mahmud Ahmadinejad was officially endorsed on August 3 by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for a second term, thousands of people protested in Tehran by honking their cars and chanting "death to the dictator."

Here is a video from Vali Asr Street:



Witnesses told RFE/RL people stopped their cars in the middle of some of the streets in central Tehran honking their car horns in protest:



Vali Asr Street at night:



Rooftop "God is great" chants on August 3:



And here is video of Basijis in Tehran:



-- Golnaz Esfandiari