Paris, June 30, 2024 – Addressing the Free Iran 2024 World Summit in Paris, former Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde emphasized the necessity of free and fair elections for any legitimate democracy. Drawing parallels between Iran’s current struggles and past revolutions, Haarde condemned the regime’s sham elections and called for international support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Haarde began by referencing Petre Roman’s earlier speech, highlighting the rapid overthrow of dictatorship when the people were unified and determined. He reiterated that free elections are the foundation of any democracy, quoting Abraham Lincoln’s principle of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Haarde criticized the recent so-called presidential election in Iran, labeling it an illusion of democracy tightly controlled by the ruling clerics. He explained how the Guardian Council vets and picks candidates based on loyalty to the regime, including those with ties to the Revolutionary Guard and histories of human rights abuses. As a result, Haarde argued, all elections in Iran are currently a sham.
He pointed to the March 2024 parliamentary elections, where only 7% of eligible voters turned out, as evidence of a coordinated act of civil disobedience rejecting the regime’s legitimacy. Haarde emphasized that the struggle for freedom and democracy in Iran is a universal fight for human rights and dignity, crucial for the protection of global justice and democratic systems. He urged the free world to support the legitimacy of the NCRI and its Resistance Units against the clerical regime.
The full text of former PM Geir Haarde’s speech follows:
Dear Madame Rajavi, dear friends, I want to thank Petre Roman for giving such an illustrious example of what can be done in a situation where a dictatorship has to be overthrown. It doesn’t have to take long. Right?
So, let’s all make sure that this happens. I would like to begin by saying that free elections are the pillar of any democracy if the people are supposed to rule. It is the fundamental assumption for any legitimate government of the people by the people and for the people like Abraham Lincoln, President Lincoln once said.
.@GHaarde: "The struggle for freedom and democracy in Iran is a universal fight for human rights and dignity. It's time for the free world to support the legitimacy of the NCRI and its #MEKResistanceUnits."#MaryamRajavi4FreeIran #FreeIran2024https://t.co/PvPi7u8WU1
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 30, 2024
So, a few days ago, like Madam Rajavi just explained to us, there was a so-called presidential election in Iran. But like other elections in that country in these times they are a tool for maintaining an illusion of democracy. While being tightly controlled by the ruling elements the clerics ensure their authoritarian grip. The Guardian Council actually vets and picks candidates on criteria including unwavering loyalty to the regime.
So how can you have a free and fair election? On that basis, this includes candidates with ties to the Revolutionary Guard and a history of human rights abuses. As a result, all elections in Iran are a sham at the present time, amounting to a carefully controlled situation. For example, the March 2024 parliamentary elections saw a turnout of just 7% and the rest of the population 93% boycotted the election, showing us all that they see through this sham.
It was an act coordinated act of civil disobedience rejecting the regime’s legitimacy and demanding its overthrow. Now the struggle for freedom and democracy in Iran is a universal fight for human rights and dignity for the protection of our own justice and democratic systems and it’s time for the free world to support the legitimacy of the NCRI and its Resistant Units against the clerical regime in Iran.
The opposition to the Iranian regime is legitimate and European and some American policymakers have failed to see this for the past 45 years, Iran has suffered from this terrible regime that we all know about that systematically violates human rights with no room for democratic or fundamental freedoms.
So, appeasement has not worked not in this case, not ever. I suggest that we all do whatever we can to support to get people in our home countries to support this movement right here. In Iceland, my home country, the maturity of Parliament recently supported the statement containing the elements that I have described the elements supporting human rights, freedom, and democracy in Iran. The delegation from Iceland here today is very proud of this position that was taken also by many other parliaments.
So, let’s move on in the struggle Madame Rajavi we are with you we wish you all the best of luck best of luck to the resistance fighters in Iran and outside of Iran.
Thank you
