Ahmadinejad speaking to a half-empty Martyr Nasiri Stadium in Yazd

Mohsen Rezai's online newspaper baztab reported yesterday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad drew smaller crowds than expected when he appeared in the city of Yazd on a speaking tour.

The results were apparently so disappointing that the president's trip was canceled. The paper said he will not be visiting the cities of Baft and Khatam, as originally planned.

The report added that voter turnout in the Province of Yazd was one of the highest in the country in the presidential election.