Reformists Warn Constitutional Change Means Totalitarian Rule In Iran
Days after some Iranian politicians suggested to do away with the presidency, reformist pundits have sounded the alarm that it will strengthen totalitarianism.
Days after some Iranian politicians suggested to do away with the presidency, reformist pundits have sounded the alarm that it will strengthen totalitarianism.
Reformist cleric Mohammad Taqi Fazel Maybodi told the media that Iranian conservatives plan to make constitutional changes that would further undermine citizens’ rights and the nature of the regime as a Republic.
Conservative politician Mohammad-Reza Bahonar suggested earlier this month that constitutional changes that at face value sounded like an attempt for more opening in the political system, allowing the formation of political parties. But debates following his statement revealed that he and others were thinking of doing away with the presidency.
Speaking in an interview with ILNA, Maybodi said some conservatives have been dreaming about limiting the people's rights and undermining the nature of Iran's political system as a republic by giving more powers to the conservative-dominated Guardian Council.
Maybodi made thecomment about a conservative plot against the republic while several moderate and reformist figures have also supported Bahonar's idea during the past week in the hope of lending legitimacy to the regime and facilitating political participation by a wider range of politicians from across Iran's political spectrum.
Although Bahonar's idea might be a genuine demand for change to end the political impasse created by the total takeover of political institutions by hardline conservatives, it could also be an idea coming from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s inner circle to save a regime that has lost the people's trust.
Maybodi called Bahonar's idea of constitutional changes a paradoxical plan that could lead to further losses for the people rather than bringing about political benefits for them. Maybodi believes that Khamenei would hand over any constitutional change to the conservative Guardian Council and the Assembly of Experts.
He said the plan to do away with the presidency and replacing it with a parliamentary system with a prime minister from within the Majles will further undermine the nature of the regime. A prime minister will be appointed by parliament, not directly elected by the people. The situation will become even worse if the non-elected Guardian Council interferes in the selection of a prime minister, as it does with all parliamentary decisions.
Maybodi's solution is to preserve the current presidential system and to have a prime minister appointed by the president. He said that deciding to make the changes under the all-conservative regime rather than under the moderate administration of Former President Hassan Rouhani makes the idea dodgier.
Meanwhile, former lawmaker Hossein Kanani Moghaddam said in an interview with Khabar Online website that hardline conservatives who have taken over all government institutions, now want to create the infrastructure for a despotic regime. They "are planning to establish an all-conservative totalitarian ruling system. This might prove successful for some time, but as soon as they need to refer to the people's vote for any matter, they might be let down by the public," he said.
However, he argued that both conservatives and reformists have failed to stand by the promises they made to the people during elections as soon as they were put in office.
Moghaddam said that the constitutional changes recently suggested by conservatives could have some advantages, but it is more likely to bring about a despotic dictatorship and this contradicts the spirit of the Constitution. He warned the conservatives that with pursuing such plans they might end up in the museum of history.
Ramazan Sharif was commenting on a story and a 50-minute recording published by the United States-funded Radio Farda based on an audio recording of a conversation in 2018 between former Guards (IRGC) commander Mohammad-Ali Jafari and his Economic Affairs Deputy Sadegh Zolghadr.
Sharif said that the case cited in the recording had been dealt with, presumably referring to the judiciary announcing last year that four defendants had been sentenced to two to 30 years in prison over embezzlement in the case. Human-rights campaigner Emadeddin Baghi has pointed out that the tape had been published on a Telegram channel two years ago. At the time it went unnoticed by media and then the channel closed down and the recording disappeared.
In the audio file, Jafari tells Zolghadr that Soleimani, who was killed by a United States drone attack in Baghdad in 2020, knew about 80,000 billion rials (around $3 billion at the time) held by Tehran municipality and Yas Holding, a firm controlled by the IRGC's Cooperatives Foundation, and had also been aware of corruption allegations before any public indictment and trials.
The tape even reveals that Soleimani was upset about the action taken by Jafari and Zolghadr against those who had embezzled the money and spoke to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei about it.
The funds had been due to reach the Qods (Quds) Force, the IRGC extraterritorial arm, which Soleimani commanded. In the recording, Zolghadr says that Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, had ordered 90 percent of the money, earned by Yas Holding, to be used to finance the Qods Force with the remainder going to the IRGC for general needs.
In a note Monday, Hossein Shariatmadari, chief editor of the flagship hardliner Kayhan daily, defended Soleimani and others – including Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and the head of IRGC intelligence Hossein Taeb – mentioned in the recording. Most other hardliner media such as the IRGC-linked Javan newspaper are still completely silent about the highly controversial contents of the audio recording but in a note Monday
‘Cleverly lured’
"It was said that the Qods Force was supposed to have a share of the revenues of the said firm,” he noted. “What is wrong or dirty about this?" He claimed the IRGC and judiciary had shown their integrity by prosecuting corrupt individuals.
Shariatmadari also defended Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran mayor at the time, saying he had "cleverly lured" his ex-deputy, Isa Sharif, back to Iran from Canada so he could be prosecuted.
Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, spokesman for parliament’s national security committee, Saturday detected “psychological war” in Radio Farda’s publication of the recording. “The ill-wishers have failed to achieve what they sought and use as an excuse to tarnish the IRGC’s image.”
But critics of the Islamic Republic, and specially the economic and political power held by the IRGC were quick to show the recording as proof of deep corruption, that Soleimani and other senior figures were aware of.
The problem for the regime is that in its infinite lack of transparency, once such a scandal reveals itself, all officials involved fall under suspicion. There is no proof in the recording that Soleimani personally benefitted from the corruption, but critics have a right to question everyone's role, since there is no free media in the country or independent courts to investigate the matter.
Former reformist interior minister Mostafa Tajzadeh tweeted Saturday that the case showed a conflict of interest within the military and political establishment. "Can you see the outcome of putting weapons, intelligence, money, and media [in the same hands]?” he wrote. “Is this anything other than the military's control over diplomacy and economy? Is there anyone to hold to account? Is there anyone who dares to prosecute?"