Q & A: Was the Iranian election rigged?: Via CNN.com.

(CNN) -- As protests continue over the disputed presidential elections in Iran, we asked two analysts to explain the background to the controversy.

Q) What degree of election monitoring is there in Iran?

A) The problem with this election, according to London-based Mideast analyst Amir Taheri, is that there is no independent monitoring at all in Iran with the interior ministry arguing that the Council of the Guardians of the Constitution, a "star chamber" of 12 mullahs, would have that role.

"Candidates are not allowed to be present at polling stations during voting or counting. Many voters are illiterate and officials help them fill in their ballot papers, so the possibilities for rigging are immense. And there are no booths in the polling stations so voting is done in public, not in private -- a major obstacle for transparency," Taheri said.

So the problem for opposition candidates in this election, said Taheri, the author of "The Persian Night," is that there are no concrete examples of fraud because there was no monitoring. "You could say all of Iran's 10 presidential elections have been fraudulent or that all were fair -- we just don't know. All have been held in the same way. The whole electoral process from the vetting of candidates to voting and ballot counting is conducted by the state."

Q) So is it possible that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did win the election?

A) The president does indeed have great public support in Iran, Taheri said, adding that "I'm sure he did win the election but it's impossible he won 63 percent of the vote. The results probably exaggerated the scale of his support."

According to official results, Ahmadinejad won in all regions and among all classes and ages -- again, something that Taheri said was unlikely, "but I can't prove it."

Had he not exaggerated the scale of his victory, Taheri said, unlike in previous presidential elections, it is possible there wouldn't be the outcry there is now. "Many Iranians feel insulted by the results because they feel their vote didn't count. Everybody knows, for instance that Ahmadinejad is unpopular in cities but he still won the vote there. That is why people are so angry."

Another Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour agreed, saying he believed this was "a stolen election."

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