Sarkozy denounces 'fraud' in Iran elections

French President Nicolas Sarkozy questioned the legitimacy of Iran's presidential election, saying the "extent of the fraud" was "proportional to the violent reaction" there.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy questioned the legitimacy of Iran's presidential election on Tuesday, saying the "extent of the fraud" was "proportional to the violent reaction" there.

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"These elections are dreadful news," Sarkozy told reporters in Gabon's capital Libreville on the sidelines of late Gabonese president Omar Bongo Ondimba's funeral. "The Iranian people deserve something else."

"The extent of the fraud is proportional to the violent reaction," he said, adding he was "worried about the situation in Iran."

Tehran has been the scene of massive opposition protests since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of Friday's election, which his chief challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi said was rigged.

"It is a tragedy, but it is not negative to have a real opinion movement that tries to break its chains," Sarkozy said.