Kamangir (Archer)

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Recipe for a Silent Election

Kamangir | July 13, 2007 | Category Human Rights, Iran, Islamic Republic

Ali Asghar Karandish, elections’ deputy of the ministry of state, stated in an interview with IRNA, “Candidates for the coming parliamentary elections are banned from using posters … [and many other types of urban advertisements]“. As of what is legal, he listed, “publishing their biography and interviewing with the media and websites are legal. Whichever candidate acts against this rule will be prosecuted accordingly”. Knowing that there is no free radio or television station in Iran, and that only a few newspapers are published which are not run by the states, and even they have to comply with a plethora of guidelines, many of which are not written anywhere, this is an obvious doping for the benefit of candidates close to the current administration.

In other developments, a group of parliament members are planning to suggest a law which would allow for campaigning as Iranians are used to see. While a right-wing MP calls the law, “A move towards people’s rights, by not having posters attached to the walls of their houses”, another right-wing MP calls it “a selfish decision which reduces turnout”. A reformist MP says “in many rural areas there is no other way to communicate to people other than using posters”. Read Guardian’s piece on this subject.

Thanks to Siavush for the tip.

Reader's Comments

mariana | July 14th, 2007 at 8:30 am
Hi: I have Iranian family members, and a very close Ir-Am friendis now in Teheran; needless to say, the current machinations of the Mullahs have me quite concerned. How dangerous is the current situation for an Iranian-American private Citizen [who is neither scholar nor "involved" in anything in any way] in Iran at this time?

Concerning “Elections:” In view of the required “approval” of all candidates by the Guardian Council [at least since Khatami surrendered his 50% appointments to Khameini get his second government sworn in], elections are an empty exercise in futility and one wonders why Iranians even bother with elections? It has become impossible to elect anyone who will represent anyone but the extreme loonies and the Rev. Guard.

Those carriers in the Gulf need to remove the Majlis and Mullahs from the face of the earth in broad daylight on a weekday, to maximize the effect.

If I lived in Teheran or Isfahan, I think I’d take my family to the mountains or Paris or somewhere. Decapitation is going to be the only way for Iranians to ever get hold of their country, and [as we've seen] the longer they delay, the more entrenched the Quds forces and Mullahs have become. mariana
mariana | July 14th, 2007 at 8:35 am
please correct the spelling of “friendis” to “friends” in paragraph 1, line 1 of post #1. Thank you. ma