Iran: Khamenei’s attempts to prevent Rafsanjani from running in regime’s sham elections

NCRI – As the election masquerade approaches, fighting between rival factions within the regime reaches new heights every day. The Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, acutely concerned about future of his regime, is poised to eliminate rival factions by limiting candidates to that of his own faction in a bit to avert tensions and crisis.

To this end, 150 parliamentarians attempting to bar Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from running for the election wrote a letter to him describing his recent statements ‘as examples of his deviation from the Imam’s mentality’.

In this letter, Rafsanjani is called upon ‘to return to the mentality of the Imam and His Eminence Ayatollah Khamenei, and to keep his distance from those who are not committed to the revolution and try to remove Islamic Revolution from its context’.

The Regime’s parliamentarians wrote: “Today’s open society with its various inclinations is decidedly more open and free from the time of his [Rafsanjani] administration.”

” Today, with all the deep-seated criticisms of Ahmadinejad’s government, progress with infrastructure, industry, science, welfare and power is more secure, resolute and powerful than during Rafsanjani’s period.” (State-run media – May 8)

Meanwhile Rafsanjani’s wife said: “Surely Rafsanjani will not enter the arena of the elections… this is not an election; is it difficult for these people to fix the votes?”

The regime’s supreme leader Khamenei, in reference to previous threats by Ahmadinejad regarding closing down the elections, had said: “Some tried to ensure that elections are not held at the designated time, but they were unsuccessful and they shall continue to be unsuccessful.”

Fearful of a nationwide boycott, he said: “They are trying for a low turnout at the election… the enemy’s political propaganda activities in the coming days and weeks will become more intense to discourage people’s participation and water it down so that they can then attack Iran on several fronts. It is the presence of the people that gives immunity to the Islamic regime and our beloved country.” (State-run media – May 7)

Prior to that, Ahmadinejad had threatened Khamenei’s faction, saying: “In less than five months, the opposition in Iran will end… the powerful hand of the people will ensure you lose so much control you can’t even find your way home.” (Asre Iran state daily – May 5)

Secertariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
May 8, 2013