Politicians Suggest Early Presidential, Parliamentary Elections In Iran
Some Iranian politicians suggest that early elections can be an option on the table as a way out of the economic crisis that has made life difficult for millions.
Some Iranian politicians suggest that early elections can be an option on the table as a way out of the economic crisis that has made life difficult for millions.
The far-reaching solution assumes that current ultraconservative parliament and President are incapable of tackling the problem mainly because of their weakness in the areas of economy and foreign policy.
A report in the centrist Aftab News in Tehran says that the overwhelmingly ultraconservative parliament (Majles) does not represent the entire nation. The report claimed that the only representative parliament in post-1979 Iran was formed in 1980 when the Guardian Council had not started its "discretionary supervision" of elections in Iran. The report further opined that returning to that form of parliament could be one of the most important ways out of Iran's political impasse.
Probing into the impact of a parliament which is predominantly radical and ultraconservative, the paper claimed that the elimination of other political factions from the election process has pushed the people into the streets to protest.
This was referring to the parliamentary election in 2020 and the presidential vote in June 2021, when most ‘reformist’ or even centrist insiders were barred from running.
But the protesters on the street do not care about reformists returning to the government. They unequivocally demand a regime change and a democratic, secular state.
Another issue is whether elections can help the country change course when all major decisions are made by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, including vetting of candidates prior to a vote. This is exactly what happened in 2020 and 2021 when the Guardian Council appointed by Khamenei barred hundreds of candidates.
Speaking about the role of President Ebrahim Raisi's administration in the political impasse, former reformist lawmaker Mohammad Ali Vakili said having seen the Raisi administration's performance so far, "it is highly unlikely that he could solve Iran's economic crisis. The members of his government have been talking too much about the problems, bragging about their solutions, but so far we have not seen anything other than ineffective speeches."
‘Reformist’ politician Jalal Jalalizadeh pointed out in an interview with Aftab News: "The government's inefficient structure is the main part of the problem and reforming it is one of the major demands of the nation." He added that "The Majles has almost no role in solving the country's most important problems."
Therefore, Jalalizadeh suggested, "It is essential that the government sets up a committee to probe into the current protests and try to meet the protesters' demands." He added: "If the government does not like the idea of changing the Constitution, it can consider early Majles and presidential elections in a bid to get rid of the current parliament and administration, which cannot fulfil their promises and have failed to respond to the people's demands."
However, he warned that Iran's reformists should not seize the opportunity of an early election to take over the government and the parliament only to serve their own financial interests and political ambitions.
This is not the first time Iranian politicians put forward the idea of early elections. Last month, some media proposed early presidential elections to make the revival of the JCPOA possible, as the Raisi administration has failed to reach an agreement with the West.
Also in July 2022, reformist commentator Abbas Abdi repeated what he had suggested to former President Hassan Rouhani about holding an early election in 2021 when hardliners tied his hands in the nuclear talks.
The Speaker of Iranian parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf who had earlier introduced the idea of "a new form of governance," told reporters in Tehran January 1 that he is trying to reach a consensus among Iran's top officials to make changes in the system of governance in the Islamic Republic.
Ghalibaf added that economic issues are the top priorities in these meeting, while the current anti-regime protests are more about social and political liberties and establishing a democratic, secular political system than any economic demand.
This comes while, he has been paying visits to security forces to pay tribute to them for dealing with the protests. On the other hand, the latest photos of Iran's top officials showed Ghalibaf in his regular weekly meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi and Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei and Vice President Mohammad Mokhber who took part in the weekly meeting for the first time. The photo shows Mokhber, a confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, addressing the three top officials.
This could pretty much be one of those meetings in which Ghalibaf says he has been looking for a consensus about how to deal with the protests.
Ghalibaf had also met with some of Iran's top clerics last week when nearly all of those who "received" him criticized Raisi's economic policies and his government's inefficiency.
Despite the attractive rhetoric about "a new form of governance," Ghalibaf explanation about the idea leaves no room for unnecessary excitement. He said that "I believe the renovation of the system of governance should take place based on the ideas of Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei."
Meanwhile, Ghalibaf praised Raisi for replacing the governor of the Central Bank and said he hopes the new governor would offer a solution for the falling Iranian currency rial, which has dipped to unprecedented lows since September.
In another development, a seasoned intelligence operative, former government spokesman Ali Rabiei has called for reforms in Iran, adding that "This is the best time to start reforms. Tomorrow might be too late."
Claiming that street protests have receded, Rabiei reiterated that this is the right time to send signals about reforms and to introduce new social policies. He said what prompted him to come up with the idea of quick reforms were the street protests, which he said are the result of economic difficulties and lost hopes in the future. He also mentioned the blow dealt against Iran by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his Middle east tour, which he said was inspired by Iran's internal crisis.
Rabiei added that the government should take lessons from these experiences and not repeat wrong domestic and foreign policies. He said wrong assumptions about international and regional developments has cost Iran many missed opportunities during the past four decades.
He also reminded top officials that resorting to reforms does not necessarily mean a retreat from previously declared policies.
An article along the same lines on the proreform Fararu website formulated the same by stating that the regime might not survive if it ignores the three crises of polarization in the society, the threat of hyper-inflation and the impact of regional and international isolation, adding that the government should find solutions for these three crises as soon as possible before it is too late.
A video footage of Revolutionary Guard Commander Brigadier General Hamid Abazari is one of these contentious leaks. In a video released recently, Abazari hinted at division among the Islamic Republic’s top military men amid continuing anti-regime protests.
Abazari, who formerly served as deputy commander of the Imam Hossein Training and Officer University, criticized senior commanders and officials who had "failed [to stand by] the values of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the regime." He claimed that he personally knows several high-ranking IRGC senior officers, including some of his own commanders, who caved in and did not support the regime.
Abazari also rebuked senior civilian officials who had not condemned the protests and alleged that some stood against Khamenei.
IRGC’s public relations department reacted to his remarks on December 31, issuing a statement stressing that this was Abazari's personal opinion and "does not correspond to existing facts."
Moreover, another senior officer in the Revolutionary Guards who formerly commanded Basij forces, Gholamhossein Gheybparvar, criticized "some elites" for staying silent about the protests and abandoning the “Islamic Revolution.”
Criticizing the unnamed individuals he lamented that "We should not have doubts in such a situation,” adding, “We do not deny having economic problems, high prices, unemployment, etc., but does the regime deserve that everybody stabs a knife into its body?"
Such remarks were also brought up in early December when hacktivist group Black Reward released tens of files containing IRGC-linked Fars News Agency's exclusive security briefings for the Guard’s Commander Hossein Salami. One document said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had complained to former Parliament Speaker and his close relative Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel that some of the regime’s elites have remained silent about the protests.
Many insiders not only stopped expressing support, but have started to denounce the regime’s policies that have led to the current uprising.
In December, a member of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution acknowledged that the Islamic Republic has failed to achieve its desired religious ideological goals. Ultra-conservative Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi is regarded as a leading advocate of the ruling clergy and the ideology of a government controlled by the clergy, in contrast with traditional Shiite thinking that favors keeping seminarians independent of the government.
Some people on social media believe that such leaks are meant to pressure regime insiders to come out in defense of the Islamic Republic, which has never seemed so battered and bruised by over 100 days of popular protests challenging its existence. Even if such statements are leaked intentionally or as publicity stunts, it cannot be ignored that Ali Khamenei and his top supporters feel isolated and unable to change the situation to the former status quo.