Established in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution to defend the Islamic Republic against domestic and foreign threats, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has been accused of playing a decisive role in the re- of the incumbent president, Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Together with the Basij, a volunteer militia force charged with the task of internal security and suppression of anti- demonstrations, the IRGC’s role in the June 12 presidential election and its aftermath has largely consisted of campaign activities, the organization of rallies for the president, monitoring the elections and conducting crackdowns on anti-government demonstrations. While the highest authority in the country continues to be Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei [Velayate Faqi-the Guardianship of the Jurists] the June 12 election marks a new stage in the paramilitary’s emergence as a major political force within Iran’s theocracy, entailing a shift in the balance of power towards the militant right faction within the conservative establishment. It was during the 2001 re-election of reformist president Mohamm…
