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Failure of Iran’s Presidential election: A foregone conclusion |
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Thursday, 16 June 2005 |
 Without doubt, the Iranian regime's presidential election on
Friday carries no semblance of the democratic process. If the electoral
process and the records of the candidates are any indication, this
election will only serve to safeguard the status quo.
Only those candidates with absolute loyalty to the doctrine of the
velayat-e faqih can nominate themselves. Even then, the unelected
Guardian Council has to approve their fitness.
Among a thousand-plus hopefuls, only eight were allowed to run. One of
them, Major General Mohsen Rezai, has since withdrawn out of fear that
the vote would be split. Of the remaining seven, four are former
Revolutionary Guards commanders, two are mullahs and one is a three
term former minister. The candidates have been key players in
suppressing the Iranian people and exporting terrorism. (Ref: Who are
the candidates in the mullahs’ election)
Former President and the frontrunner Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been
directly responsible for the execution of 120,000 dissidents in Iran
and the assassination of opponents abroad. He is also the father of
Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
What is new this time is the public’s overwhelming apathy and the
intention to boycott the election, even among some who supported the
regime and voted in previous elections. With elections not having any
impact on their lives, the people have become disillusioned.
Iranian resistance's political and social analysis of Iran's current
affairs is that the elections will be boycotted by the vast majority of
Iranians. What is particularly noticeable this time is the disarray and
discord within the ruling factions.
In a nutshell, we are facing an anti-democratic farce that is intended
to legitimize an illegitimate regime. Regardless of the outcome, the
ruling clique would emerge much weaker and much more vulnerable in the
face of deepening political and social crises.
Furthermore, Tehran’s Western interlocutors who have been appeasing the
mullahs so far and are pinning hope on the outcome on Friday, would
have a hard time justifying their current policy, not only because it
would be unjustifiable but also because it would bear no fruit.
Mohammad Mohaddessin,
Foreign Affairs Committee Chair
June 16, 2005 |
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