Iran on Edge over Upcoming Election
The Guardian / Saeed Kamali Dehghan
09-Jan-2012 (one comment)

Ahmad Salamatian, a former Iranian MP based in Paris and a critic of the regime, said he believed the elections would pose a bigger challenge to the establishment than three years ago.

"In 2009, the competition was among all political factions working within the framework of the Islamic republic," he said. "But since then, the regime has narrowed its circle more than ever; in other words, with the absence of the opposition, the coming vote is a competition within that already closed circle."

It is unclear how many reformists will stand, as most appear to have decided to boycott the vote...

Analysts believe the regime is trying to present its candidates as reformists. At the same time, leaders have warned they would consider any attempt to encourage an electoral boycott as a crime.

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FG

Mullahs have three major problems

by FG on Mon Jan 09, 2012 11:40 AM PST

1. The opposition plans to use graffiti to encourage an election boycott. 

That will make it hard to carry out threats of prosecuting boycott advocates.  The regime will  get laughs when it accuses the writers of "cowardice" for remaining anonymous--a laughable charge coming from mullahs who constantly unleash plainclothes thugs and their helmeted security force thugs in black plastic masks against peaceful demonstrators.   

 

2. All that Ahmadinejad's faction needs to win is for everyone who has given up on this unreformable regime and its hated mullahs to stay home.

3. Given a boycott by disillusioned reformers, the only way mullahs can win is by rigging the election outright, either via the Guardian Council or by directly stealing votes.  In either case, will Ahmadinejad carry out his blackmail threat, preferably by posting thousands of documents on the internet where they will live forever?   If so, what effect will such disclosures have on an already besieged mullocrachy and its detested thugs? 



Balatarin
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