Iran votes for change but democracy is still far off
lunedì 29 febbraio 2016 English 0 commenti
Il Giornale, February 29, 2016There is something a bit pathetic in the insistence of the media about the idea that the elections in Iran are an important sign of democratization, painting a scenery where from now on we will see a dramatic turn to democracy and to the West. Many media seem to forget the reality of Iran, dominated by its shaaria seasoned with Khomeinism, the world wide record of death sentences second only to China, the repression of ideas and women, the persecution of gays. They seem to forget suddenly the records of a country that year after year leaves behind a long trail of terrorism and that just a few days ago granted 7000 dollars to the families of each Palestinian terrorist. Iran is the major sponsor of terrorism in the world, the arm of its imperialist religious mission that has brought it, nowadays, to dominate four capitals in the Middle East.
The available data from the elections show that the Iranians, a very large mosaic a of ancient, noble populations, are fed up with the oppressive regime that has impoverished them. They have shown, and this is undisputable, the people will to support president Rouhani, considering his moderate side, the one who has opened a door towards welfare with the nuclear agreement. The list of reformist and moderate candidates for the parliamentary elections obtained the thirty seats of the district of Tehran, Iran’s capital
This victory is important: almost two thirds of the votes counted went to Rouhani, assigning to his electoral coalition known as the "List of Hope" all thirty seats available. The head of the reformist coalition, Mohammed Reza Aref, led the way with 1 million 323,643 votes while the leader of the conservative list, Gholam Ali Hadad Adel, former president of the parliament, only got the thirty fist place. In the provinces of this large Country, the results were less univocal, but still good for the moderate front. Even the powerful Assembly of Experts, that comprises 88 members and remains in office for eight years, and therefore is expected to elect the successor of the 78-year-oldAli Khamenei, grants a majority to the President. Two of the three candidates that the pro-Rouhani list had asked to boycott - Ahmad Jannati, Mohammed Yazdi and Mohammed Taghi Mesbah Yazdi –have lost their seats. This suggests that the next ‘Supreme Leader’ could be Rafsanjani, the powerful and ambiguous friend of Rouhani.
The three rejected clerics were among those who protested throughout the negotiations between Rouhani and the P5+1, but at the end nobody could really forbid the agreement: this would have been possible only if the Supreme Leader and his clerics would have refused it, and it didn't happen. Khatami interpreted the agreement for what it is: a simple moratorium on Iran’s race toward its nuclear power, an occasion to increase the Islamic Republic power. And so it will be with these elections.
As we all gaze with satisfaction on every trace of innovation, including the admission of 13 women in a Parliament in which 167 elected moderate and reformist MPs can now govern, the question is whether all of this will take to a less millenarianism Iran, an Iran that will stop aiming at the Mahdi arrival, at an Islamic dictatorship in the Muslim world and to world supremacy. It's hard to believe that Khamenei plans to give the parliament the chance to change the country stopping the constant violation of the most basic human rights and the continuation of the ideology of ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America’, reiterated just a few days ago during the celebrations for the 37thanniversary of the revolution. There is no doubt that the people want to change direction and that to achieve this they have voted for Rouhani.
This happened in 2009 too, and ended in bloody repression. Rouhani belongs to a shut-tight system, as many of his elected members of the parliament. All of them belong to lists that have been cleared of the thousands of candidates who were not up to Khamenei’s standards, including the great Khomeini’s own grandson who was deemed "not loyal to the values of the revolution". Secondly, the real entity that rules Iranian politics is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, that will never accept from Rouhani anything that could undermine the power it holds today and that allows it to control Tehran, Beirut, Baghdad, Sana and Damascus and to protect the Hezbollah, Hamas and the other terrorist groups. They are the foundation of its international power.
One must never underestimate the fact that Rouhani may carry out many diplomatic policy and image-making operations, but in the end it is the Supreme Leader who take the real decisions, and for the time being Khamenei has no intention of abandoning the helm of the country. Rouhani declared he was enthusiastic about the Iranian people’s participation in the elections. Elections in his world, however, do not mean democracy.