Iran's election: 'A powerful yearning remains'

The likelihood of real change is assessed ahead of today's presidential election

Friday June 17, 2005
The Guardian

Sanam Vakil Financial Times, June 16

"The democratic winds of reform sweeping through the Middle East appear to have bypassed the Islamic Republic of Iran ... However, the election has caused more excitement and debate than initially expected ... Among the [candidates] is Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the veteran politician and president between 1989 and 1997 ... Mr Rafsanjani's re-emergence signifies an essential and often overlooked change in Iran's power structure - a weakening in the position of the rahbar or supreme leader ...

"It is common knowledge that Ayatollah Ali Khameini ... did not want Mr Rafsanjani to re-enter the political scene ... Mr Rafsanjani is the only candidate in this current political environment who can challenge and moderate the conservative ideological agenda in the light of Iran's national interest ... He could indeed be the only strong candidate to fan the winds of regional change."

Danielle Pletka New York Times, June 16

"In his first tour as president, Mr Rafsanjani cemented a reputation as a corrupt and power-hungry wheeler-dealer. He crushed personal freedoms and presided over a sharp economic downturn. He ushered in a particularly aggressive phase of Iranian sponsorship of terrorism ... Few in Iran lamented the end of his tenure in 1997 ... His comeback is due not to popular demand, but the machinations of the mullahs ...

"Let's face it: scheming to make deals with the mullah of the moment is not policymaking. Yes, Iran is a thorny problem. But it is best tackled through a robust programme to support the rights of the Iranian people."

Shirin Ebadi and Muhammad Sahimi Wall Street Journal Europe, June 15

"What many Iranians fear is that if the hardliners win the election, they would offer significant concessions to the west, in return for a free hand in running Iran ...The west should bear in mind the longer-term dangers. Turning a blind eye to human rights abuses, when the vast majority of Iranians desire mutually respectful relations with the west, would only increase their suspicion of the west's underlying motives ...

"The EU should make clear to Iran's hardliners that it will not expand its political and commercial relations with Iran (and it will curtail them if necessary) unless Tehran undertakes meaningful reforms."

· Shirin Ebadi is a law professor at Tehran University. She won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. Muhammad Sahimi is an expert on Iran's nuclear programme

Washington Post Editorial, June 16

"Four years ago it still seemed possible to many Iranians that their country's political system could be an instrument for genuine democratic change. With the support of a broad coalition, reformist President Mohammad Khatami won re-election in a landslide ... Those hopes are gone ... Whether they bother to vote, most Iranians no longer believe that their elected government has any meaningful authority.

"They are right, of course - yet the results of the election will matter ... As the campaign has shown, a powerful yearning for political freedom and other human rights remains. This election won't bring about that revolution, but it has made the cracks in the ageing Islamic dictatorship a little wider."

Amin Sabooni Iran Daily, June 15

"The eight candidates ... tell us daily that we have serious deficits in some key areas. These include democracy, meritocracy, civil liberties, free press, economic growth, accountability, transparency and confidence in the powers that be. Add to this, corruption in high places, fraud, graft [and] nepotism ...

"One simple premise for the visible apathy and the long list of deficits is the plain truth that the eight ... have over the years held positions of power and prestige ... They were involved in the construction, deconstruction and reconstruction of the structure that is in place today."

Hassan Hanizadeh Tehran Times, June 16

"A low turnout would put into question the legitimacy of the Islamic system and sully Iran's reputation in the international arena, which is exactly what the US and some regional states want, as they fear Iran's religious democracy. "This has led to [attempts by] the US ... and non-Iranian terrorist groups to spread ethnic and sectarian strife from Iraq to Iran ...Will the US eventually realise its evil goals in Iran? Definitely not, because, despite its ethnic diversity, Iran'svarious ethnic groups enjoy equal rights guaranteed by the constitution. Therefore, they have no reason to cast their eyes upon any source of hope beyond the borders."

Adrian Hamilton Independent, June 16

"The election won't necessarily produce the results the outside world wants. Iranians are most interested in the economy and the failure of high oil prices to do more to solve the problems of youth unemployment and widespread disparity of wealth. Not that different, in truth, from the voters of France and the Netherlands. The rights of women, freedom of speech and even the place of the clergy in society all figure. But on external questions most Iranians remain resolutely nationalistic. Well over half the voters fully support Iran's nuclear ambitions ... Iraq and Israel hardly figure at all."