Parliamentary Elections: Unfair and Corrupt

More Protests ‎ ‎

While former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami warned that irregularities in the ‎eight Majlis elections may become a “trend,” in its latest statement following the second ‎round of elections in several cities across Iran, the Committee for Defense of Free, ‎Healthy and Fair Elections characterized the eight Majlis elections as “not free, unfair, ‎and corrupt." ‎
Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, whose recent remarks in interviews with foreign media has ‎enraged some right-wingers in Iran, said in an interview about irregularities in the eight ‎Majlis elections, “The worry is mostly that this method will become a trend. We must all ‎fear this and stop it. If some act to undermine free election and the people’s freedom of ‎choice, they have done a very terrible thing.” ‎
Criticizing widespread disqualifications, Khatami added, “In two-thirds of races, one ‎party that is committed to Islam, Iran, and development and progress of this nation was ‎not allowed to introduce any candidates… I am glad that the dear head of the ‎Expediency Council and even the dear interior minister protest this and say that ‎fundamental reforms must be undertaken in this field (elections) and especially in ‎determining the criteria for qualification of candidates. Although I truly hope that this ‎remark does not mean that the dear interior minister will lose his post in the near future! ‎It is necessary that a comprehensive and complete report [of election irregularities] be ‎prepared and presented to the supreme leader and next Majlis to uncover the realities.” ‎

Coinciding with Khatami’s remarks, the Committee for Defense of Free, Healthy and ‎Fair Elections, which has as a member Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi and other ‎prominent Iranian figures, released a statement with the completion of second round of ‎eight Majlis election. The statement notes, “Not taking into account systemic and legal ‎problems with the electoral system in Iran, and independent of irregularities witnessed ‎during the first round of eight Majlis elections (including: disqualification of candidates, ‎open support of some government institutions, radio and television in particular, for a ‎certain political faction, as well as the ballot-counting process), the Committee for ‎Defense of Free, Healthy and Fair Elections deems the second round of Majlis elections ‎not free, unfair and corrupt, and in line with the trend set with the irregularities as well as ‎unfair and corrupt processes in the first round.” ‎

The statement adds, “The second round of elections followed the corrupt, unfair and un-‎free trend of the previous round. Politicians, administrators and specially the supervisors ‎of the aforementioned elections completed this process by ignoring and failing to provide ‎reasonable and convincing responses to protests and calls by certain candidates and ‎parties to recount votes and provide accurate information and data from each ballot box ‎‎(including the number of cast and valid ballots, and number of ballots cast for each ‎individual candidate in the first and second rounds).” ‎

Democracy Possible for Iran, Says Dissident Iranian Journalist

But it will not grow in the same way as U.S. democracy, says Arash Sigarchi

By Jane MorseStaff Writer

Washington -- It is possible for democracy to take root in Iran, but it will not grow in the same way as democracy did in America, says Arash Sigarchi, an Iranian journalist who has been imprisoned for his outspokenness.

“Iran must gain democracy through ways other than the ways used in America,” he said in an interview with America.gov. “I think if you increase the people’s awareness and improve education of the Iranian people, they can gain democracy themselves very well.”

Sigarchi lives in the United States now, but in January 2005, he was imprisoned in Iran for discussing “censored” topics on his blogs.

In January 2007, he was granted a medical furlough to seek treatment for cancer. After his release, he spoke frequently to the foreign press and public about the repression of freedom of speech and the arrests of other journalists in Iran. He now fears for his life if he must return to his homeland.

Speaking through an interpreter to America.gov, Sigarchi said it might surprise the average American to know there is a democratic tradition in Iran, although it is nothing like that which developed in the United States.

Some 2,500 years ago, he said, Cyrus of the Achaemenid Empire, which included much of modern Iran, issued the first charter for human rights. “Even though democracy and human rights can hardly be imagined coming from a king, many kings in Iran’s past history have done this,” Sigarchi said.

“But if we set that history aside,” he said, “and look at the recent era, in the recent 100 years when we had the Constitutional Revolution take shape, we have experienced relative democracy in Iran every once in awhile. For example, the few years after the Constitutional Revolution and before Reza Shah Pahlavi came to power. Or we were beginning to feel democracy before the British-American 1953 coup overthrew Dr. Mohammad Mosadegh’s government. And the first two to three years after the 1979 revolution in Iran, there was sort of a democracy.”

The Iranian Constitutional Revolution, which took place between 1905 and 1911, led to the establishment of an elected parliament. The revolution opened the way for significant changes in Iran, including greatly expanded press freedom and a proliferation of newspapers.

FIGHTING FOR FREE SPEECH

Now 30 years old, Sigarchi has spent most of his life as a journalist on the frontlines in the fight for freedom of speech in Iran.

As the editor of the daily newspaper Gilan Emrooz, he tried to sidestep censorship rules imposed on the print media by expressing dissent on government policies on the Internet and via blogs.

Blogging has become the communication medium of choice for many Iranians opposed to the current regime. Some estimates place the number of active Iranian blogs at as many as 100,000. According to Sigarchi, Iranians regard blogs as very accurate sources of news. “Usually in Iran, bloggers sign their real names,” he explained. “No one likes to spread lies with their real name.”

Sigarchi also used his blog postings to defend other bloggers who spoke out against the Iranian regime and who were arrested and beaten by Iranian authorities. Sigarchi himself was detained by police for posting both an article and photos of a dissident rally in Tehran, Iran, in 2004.

In January 2005, Sigarchi was arrested for espionage and for insulting the leaders of the Islamic Republic. Originally sentenced to 14 years in prison, his prison term was reduced to three years, which he did not complete due to the onset of cancer and a furlough to seek medical treatment.

“Last time, they sentenced me to 14 years; I think this time they will execute me,” he told America.gov when discussing the possibility of returning to Iran.

During his stay in the United States, he has expanded his Persian language Web blog and started an English language Web blog.

“My English blog is getting attention worldwide, and my friends in Iran read my Persian blog and say they can learn about my views without the threat from the regime,” Sigarchi said, adding he now can practice journalism “more freely and with ease of mind.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Sigarchi has completed a book on responsible journalism that he hopes to publish using his own finances. Entitled Local Journalism, the book is aimed at the estimated 3,000 newspapers and publications produced in Iran’s provinces. “They are not strong from a theoretical aspect,” Sigarchi said of these small news operations, “and I thought I could help them by publishing this book.”

Sigarchi also dreams of completing his law degree in the United States. He began his legal studies while in prison in Iran.

“One of my ideals is to study law here, or continue studying journalism, or to find work at important centers here and be able to provide them with my views as a journalist,” he said. Sigarchi believes he has earned his credentials as a dissident journalist. “I have fought a lot for freedom of speech, for human rights in Iran,” he said. “I went to prison; I went to the point of death.”

I Have Solutions For Global Problems!

Ahmadinejad Tells Media:

‎In his most recent interview Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad not only denied the ‎existence of rising costs and hardships that ordinary Iranians face every day but even said ‎he had solutions for the world’s food crises problem.‎

‎“I think the living conditions of Iranians are better than in the past and say this based on ‎per capita consumption figures, just as the national purchasing power has increased as ‎well. But in general, the purchasing power in the country has risen during the last three ‎years,” he asserted.‎
At a press conference in which some one hundred domestic and international journalists ‎and reporters were present, Ahmadinejad said this in response to a question by Eghtesad ‎Pooya newspaper regarding ways to resolve the global economic crises, as he ignored the ‎dire straits that Iranians live on a daily basis, “It is true that the world is facing a drought, ‎but the food crises facing mankind is the result of mismanagement at the global level. We ‎have prepared solutions to resolve this crisis and shall present them at the next FAO ‎‎(UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization) meeting in Rome. I think our proposals ‎contain ways to resolve the issue so that nations will have sufficient amounts of food and ‎resources.”‎

Ahmadinejad is presenting his “proposals” for the world at a time when specialists and ‎experts in Iran and even a large number of right-wing Majlis representatives and Friday ‎prayer leaders (who in Iran exercise a great influence over public opinion) agree that the ‎country is facing very serious economic problems. Last week, even the Majlis Speaker ‎Haddad Adel and Larijani, who is widely tipped to be the next Speaker following last ‎month’s parliamentary elections spoke about the need for the next legislature to pay ‎special attention to the issue of inflation and rising prices.‎

To add to this growing criticism, even senior clerics of Iran who generally support ‎Ahmadinejad’s administration have been critical of sharply rising prices.‎

During this press interview, Ahmadinejad who has zero tolerance for any domestic ‎criticism, invited the next US President for a debate and said, “I am willing to debate with ‎the whole world watching with American presidential candidates who claim to manage ‎the world.” He again said that world powers had reached an impasse adding, “Political ‎relations in the world are based on bullying of the powerful and dominant powers and ‎conditions of the world are the result of these relations. They are not capable of solving ‎current problems and so everybody is in a complete impasse.”‎