NCRI – Rifts between rival factions and paranoia within the Iranian regime are mounting ahead of the forthcoming presidential election, reports from inside the regime have revealed.
In the latest sign of growing panic among leaders, the Guardian Council has issued a stark warning to any ‘deviants’ planning a repeat of the riots that blighted the 2009 election.
Ahmad Jannati – the secretary of the Council which has the power to vet candidates – said on Tuesday: “We will deal legally with these people.”
Meanwhile Iranian MP Seyed Hadi Hosseini has said people have little faith any of the candidates will be able to solve the regime’s economic or political crises.
He said: “People look at the elections with stress. They fear the candidates, whether reformist or fundamentalist, will not be able to solve their problems.
“People are looking for someone to solve their economic, foreign and international relations problems, and this makes the election a tough prospect.”
Senior cleric Abdullah Javadi Ameli has also warned that the regime’s policy of trying to appease the population with ‘rhetoric, lies and distributing money’ is failing.
He said on Tuesday: “We can no longer control the people with words and manage them with lies and distributing money. “If we don’t do the right thing… satellites will take away the people.” The Iranian regime is widely fearing the opposition satellite channels broadcast into Iran.
There is also mounting concern over the pre-election speeches of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been accused of stirring up public dissent to promote his own favourite candidate.
MP Seyed Reza Akrami said of Ahmadinejad’s remarks in a speech in Ahvaz on Sunday: “Ahmadinejad must be clear who he thinks is stopping him from doing his job. With oil revenue of more than 700 billion dollars, what more does he want and what is he not being allowed to do?
“What kind of behavior is this that from the president of the country, who holds the second highest rank after the Supreme Leader? He thinks he will always remain in power, but he will fall one day.”
