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IRAN Sham Elections: Better The Devil You Know Than The One You Don’t

The last sham presidential elections in Iran propelled an obscure political figure, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, into Iran’s political scene at a very crucial juncture when Iranians were daily challenging the theocratic regime and the world was concerned with Iran’s nuclear drive for nuclear weapons and meddling in Iraq.

This year however, the regime finds itself in a conundrum: it is in dire need of a show of popular legitimacy.

Ahmadinejad’s behavioral patterns have to some extent introduced a hard line fundamentalist pawn chiseled by the Supreme figure Khamenei to prepare the tyrannical regime for a bumpy road ahead in the nuclear dispute and future dissident unrest.

Ahmadinejad’s push for a uranium-enrichment program has divided the UN Security Council on how to punish Iran without rattling energy markets. And his support for Hezbollah and Hamas has contributed to a conflict that has inflamed the crisis in the area. To be sure, Ahmadinejad occupies a front role in implementing the Supreme leaders’ commands and orders under the provisions of the Velayate Faghih constitution, which allows the Supreme leader “God given authority” to dictate with no rival supremacy.

At home, he has pursued policies suppressing all rivalry voiced by various splinters of those RGC affiliates who find the situation explosive and tend to ease out of the active political scene. Rival voices have had a hard time passing the various filters “engineered” by the special committee installed to prevent rival candidates getting to the finals.

Iran’s human rights record has rapidly deteriorated under his watch, with widespread reports of unlawful arrest, torture, and summary executions of women and children. As a matter of statistics; in the second day of the 2008 New Year, fifteen people were hung in one day, which is a shocking rise compared to several months ago. On the other hand, systematic suppression of youth and women, who have been the forefront of the dissident movements in Iran, has been institutionalized under various pretexts such as “National security,” “dress code control,” “combating thugs” and so forth. Establishing 24 kinds of police and security entities in Tehran vividly shows the air of instability feared by Iranian officials and the Supreme leader.

The core Question is: Does the term “election” apply to an irrational Islamo-fascism ruling the country?

I leave the answer to your judgment after clarifying “Velayat -e- Faghih, its role and jurisdiction in the Political scene in Iran.”

“The preamble to the constitution ratified by the Assembly of Experts notes: “Based on the principle of the Guardianship of the Islamic State and the leadership of the Muslim Nation, the Constitution provides a basis for the leadership of a fully qualified faqih whom the people consider as leader, to ensure that no institution deviates from its Islamic mandate.” Principle 4 elaborates on the mechanism by which the vali-e-faqih has universal jurisdiction, providing quasi, legal justification to the supremacy of the vali’s will over the law. “All civil, penal, monetary, cultural, military, and political laws must be based on the Islamic principles.”

Naturally, the interpretation of what is or is not an “Islamic principle” falls within the authority of the vali-e-faqih and the Council of Guardians, another body of mullahs appointed by the vali. Despite the superficial separation of the three branches of government, the constitution delegates their control entirely to the vali-e-faqih.

Principle 57 says: “The legislative, executive, and judicial branches in the Islamic Republic of Iran are under the supervision of the vali-e-faqih and the Imam of the Islamic ummah.” Since supreme religious and political authority rests in the hands of one person, the Imam’s power far exceeds that of any contemporary head of state. Principle 110 of the constitution lists the vali-e-faqih’s powers as follows:

Supreme Command of the Armed Forces as the following:

1. Appointing and dismissing the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces

2. Appointing and dismissing Commander in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps

3. Forming the Supreme National Defense Council of the following seven members:

  • President
  • Prime Minister
  • Minister of Defense
  • Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
  • Commander in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.Two advisors designated by the Leader4. Appointing the supreme commanders of the three forces upon the suggestions made by the Supreme Defense Council;

    5. Declaring war, peace, and troop mobilizations upon the suggestion of the Supreme Defense Council;

    D. Signing the decree naming the President after popular elections. The competence of presidential candidates, as per the conditions stipulated by the Constitution, must be approved prior to the elections by the Council of Guardians and confirmed by the Imam during the first electoral round;

    *2

    It is evident that the role of the so called President under such a system is merely to voice the Supreme leaders’ intentions and plans.

    Recently Khamenei announced his egos as a replica of his predecessor: Establishing an Islamic empire, the savior of the world.

    Do we know who Ahmadinejad is?

    I have no doubt we share a common feeling of personal integrity violation and respect, after hearing roguish remarks of Ahmadinejad in public places.

    What I doubt in mind, is whether the world is aware fully of the background and nature of this installed president and the reasons behind the previous sham elections.

    We shall never forget his controversial and embarrassing remarks on world-evident facts, such as his hideous remarks on “freedom and Democracy” in Iran, during his Columbus speech:

    “People in Iran are very joyous, happy people.”

    *2, concerning women in Iran he said; they are “the freest women in the world … They’re active in every level of society,” he then claimed “People in Iran are very joyous, happy people!”

    In view of the fact that the Supreme leader is investing in a second round of orchestrated elections to reassign Ahmadinejad for a second term, it is relevant to review roughly his background.

    Henchman in notorious Evin prison:

    In the early 1980s, Ahmadinejad worked in the “Internal Security” department of the IRGC and earned notoriety as a ruthless interrogator and torturer. In 1981, Ahmadinejad, along with a number of “the Line of the Imam [Khomeini] students, began working in the Prosecutor’s Office and in Evin Prison, where he collaborated with Mohammad Kachui (Warden of Evin) and Assadollah Lajevardi (Tehran Prosecutor General), both notorious henchmen in Evin Prison. As a vicious torturer, Ahamdinejad led firing squads in early 1980s and personally fired coup de grace at executed prisoners.

    He worked under the proxy name of “Dr.Miraii” and then “Golpayegani,” who directly tortured and shot the prisoners to death during the 1960s in the 209 section of Evin prison.

    Senior commander of extra-territorial operations of the IRGC

    In Kermanshah

    Ahmadinejad became involved in the clerical regime’s terrorist operations abroad and led many “extra-territorial operations of the IRGC.” With the formation of the elite Qods (Jerusalem) Force of the IRGC, Ahmadinejad became one of its senior commanders.

    Party to assassination of KDP leader Qassemlou in Vienna

    Brig. Gen. Mohammad Jafar Sahraroudi, then Ramadan Garrison’s commander recruited Ahmadinejad in 1989 for the assassination in July 1989 in Vienna of Dr. Abdul-Rahman Qassemlou, the Secretary General of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran. Sahraroudi lead the operation in which he was also wounded. Austrian authorities returned him and his accomplices to Tehran, however.

    Ahamdinejad was the commander of one of the two hit squads, the first team being led by Sahraroudi himself. He also received the weapons and ammunition for this operation from the Iranian embassy in Vienna and gave them to members of both hit-teams.

    Opinion on Ahmadi nejad:

    “Ahmadinejad was a founder of the group of young activists who swarmed over the embassy wall and held the diplomats and embassy workers hostage for 444 days.”

    John Simpson, BBC Journalist

    “He was one of the top two or three leaders. The new president of Iran is a terrorist.” Kevin Hermening of Mosinee, Wisconsin, who was a 20-year-old marine guard when the embassy was seized, said that Ahmadinejad was one of his interrogators the day of the takeover.

    “It (Iran) certainly does sponsor terrorism. There’s no doubt about that at all.”

    Tony Blair speaking at a parliamentary committee

    Footnotes

    *1: Ahmadinejad in a National Press Club in which audience questioned him about the arrests of students, journalists and women.

    http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3643298

    *2: islamic-fundamentalism

CSH/SAzari is a journalist reporting on #Iran / #IranProtests, a freelance commentator, researcher-Policy advisor at ISCC/IHRM/CSDHI, and ground reporter at SA TV, who writes to be informative and educative and loves to receive feedback.

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