News

Hairy

You have a very keen sense of humor and sound logic. I am impressed with all the answers I see.
What's the deal with people denying dual citizenship anyway? it's not a new phenomenon and most of us have dual citizenship in US.June is a great season to travel to Iran.

Have a good time

IRANdokht

Anonymous00

Of course you can have dual citizenship. Where does the term come from? It is not to have dual citizenship between Earth and Mars!

USA does not recognize dual citizenship but it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I am a US citizen and know full well about dual citizenship thanks for filling Govt forms for both countries, legally. Who are the recent US citizens who were arrested in Iran lately and sent to Evin? They are dual citizens.

I have not voted for an election in Iran yet but again if I am there in June I will. I am glad this simple issue of me voting amuses many people. But it is my choice and you guys are just either nosy or jealous! Nothing to be jealous about so just nosy probably.

Did I ask you guys to vote or not? Now that you mention it I hope all Iranians who can vote in Iranian elections, vote. If for nothing else but to annoy the heck out of annoying people!

to: Hairy

Hairy: How often do you go back to Iran??

Did you know you can't have dual citizenships if you're a US citizen?? Are you a US citizen?

"do Iranians have a great

"do Iranians have a great passion to patience?"

That is the mother of all understatements especially in the new Iran. Iranians have ZERO patience! Patience has left the building!

Not Voting is Just Silly

Not voting demonstrates the incapability of the Iranians living in a democratic system. Iranians want a democratic system, but do they also have the culture for that? 8 years ago they thought Khatami could change everything in 4 years, and 2005 they stuck their heads in the sand and didn´t vote. They didn´t know that "Democracy has a price".

A sustainable societal improvement requires the participations of all the members of the society. Khatami is not a liberator, but he now can be the right person for the "step-by-step solution, not strong, but intelligent, and I think that he is the only one who can make most of the the people taking part in that civil society. I hope the Iranians jump at that opportunity and have patience with him (do Iranians have a great passion to patience?).

Besides: Sitting in Europe/USA and writing about "dog and pony show" is not the most intelligent alternative. Drinking a cappuccino in Vienna or a manhattan in LA doesn´t qualify anyone telling people in Iran what they should do or not.

Anyway: It would be nice seeing Iran one day as a free country, where people can live their individual liberties.

To Opportunist and anonymous <>

Lala land? I don't live in LA. Stay in Iran? As Governor of Allahska once said; thanks but no thanks. I'm just going to vote if I am there in June. You call it anything you want. Wear your caravats proudly!

wow, I'm overwhelmed by the

wow, I'm overwhelmed by the power of your logic. If I were you, I would stay in Iran. You could contribute so much to the progress of Iran. Please do not deprive Iranians from your unique brand of mediocracy. Be a patriot, stay in Iran. Iran hungers ofr vanguards like you.

I'm in awe!

To Hairy

I say it is called denial, self-deception and living in lala land.

It is called

It is called pseudo-democracy which means it is better than no-democracy.

I would like to change the

I would like to change the name of the country to country X and the name of the candidates to X,y,Z(to not prejuidice the objective readers) running and ask an academic or someone savvy in political science to analyze this piece and tell us whether this system of goernance and modes of election qualifies to be called as "election" or even pseudo-democracy?? thanks.

Noone

Why not? What is to you? I can vote in both countries so I do. Nothing to get all worked up about.

To DK

Seems like you are beginning to take all this dog and pony show seriously.

to Hairy: Ham az tobreh ham az akhor

very practical policy!

Bribing the voters with Cash!

...Khatami and the conservative president wooing swing voters with promises of "justice shares" -- cash giveaways to voters.

{...}

Lower-middle-class urbanites will also be a decisive constituency that could swing for either camp. Ahmadinejad wants to win their votes by handing out cash, a move Khamenei may disallow, analysts said. But they also have fond memories of the Khatami years, when the economy was more responsibly run and Iran's more positive relations with other countries made trade easier.

"They don't know whom to vote for," said Ahmad Bakhshayeshi, a political scientist at Tehran's Islamic Azad University. "They look at their wallets, they take a look at the slogans and the popular wave, and then they decide."

In addition to Ahmadinejad and Khatami, other potential and declared presidential contenders include former parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi, a reformist slightly to the right of Khatami; former chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Row- hani, a relative centrist; and Tehran Mayor Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, a principlist with a flashier armed forces pedigree than Ahmadinejad.

Khatami faces formidable obstacles on his road to the presidency, including state-controlled news media loyal to the principlists and a clerical establishment that remains deeply suspicious of his cause.

Members of Iran's powerful security forces and Khamenei are believed to strongly back Ahmadinejad over Khatami, whose raucous followers challenged the country's system during his 1997-2005 presidency. But most analysts say Khamenei will jettison Ahmadinejad if popular sentiment shifts toward Khatami.

I may be in Iran in June and

I may be in Iran in June and if I'm there I'll probably vote. It'll be my first vote ever in Iran. I voted for Obama in November and I'll be voting for Khatami in June.