{"id":321624,"date":"2024-07-07T21:23:24","date_gmt":"2024-07-07T20:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=321624"},"modified":"2024-07-18T16:01:12","modified_gmt":"2024-07-18T15:01:12","slug":"in-irans-sham-presidential-election-the-people-won-and-khamenei-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/iranian-regime-infighting\/in-irans-sham-presidential-election-the-people-won-and-khamenei-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"In Iran\u2019s Sham Presidential Election, the People Won and Khamenei Lost"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Two-minute read<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

After weeks of relentless propaganda, pleas, and power struggles<\/a>, the spectacle of replacing Ebrahim Raisi, the notorious executioner-turned-president who met an abrupt end, has concluded. This costly endeavor, both materially and politically, forced the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to retreat from his goal of consolidating power.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past five consecutive elections, Khamenei faced massive boycotts from the people as well as from factions within his regime that branded themselves as “reformists” and “moderates.” This time, to avoid another international embarrassment and the disintegration of his regime, he was compelled to grant significant concessions and a share of power to former allies and current arch-rivals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seizing the opportunity, Khamenei attempted to project strength, disregarding numerous domestic and international reports of an unprecedented election boycott. He boldly claimed<\/a>, “The dear people, with a sense of responsibility, turned out in large numbers, creating a lively and passionate scene, filling the ballot boxes in two rounds with over 55 million votes.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Masoud Pezeshkian<\/a>, the least threatening figure from Khamenei’s rival faction allowed to participate in this theatrical presidential race, had spared no opportunity to display his loyalty to Khamenei. During the campaign, he donned the uniform of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for photo ops and repeatedly, both before and after his declared victory, paid homage to the slain Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, and he unequivocally opposed any deviation from Khamenei’s directives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Khamenei’s fractured regime faces a dense array of internal, regional, and international crises that it can neither ignore nor adequately address. The faction loyal to Khamenei, now splintered by the electoral defeat, is blaming each other for this significant loss. As self-styled “opposition,” they are poised to obstruct Pezeshkian’s efforts to form a government and manage the executive branch amid numerous crises. Stocked with bitter memories of Rafsanjani, Khatami, and Rouhani’s administrations, the headlines from IRGC-affiliated media about the new government which they have resentfully dubbed the “third Rouhani government<\/a>,” are more than predictable.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The clerical regime in #Iran<\/a> is approaching the elections amidst broad societal disenchantment. Officials and state media anticipate record-high election boycotts compared to any other year. pic.twitter.com\/J0HLl554pt<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n