Dr. Sanabargh Zahedi
Iran’s theocratic regime, due to its backward nature, always tries to misuse opportunities that rise from other people’s misfortune while at the same time it tries to keep an innocent face. This is the strategy that this regime has been able to carry out so far.
Take Iraq for instance. Although the mullah’s officially opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but after the collapse of Iraqi former government, they propelled full force to overtake that country. And so far, you can say that the mullahs are the prime beneficiary of Iraq war.
Naturally, such a strategy would soon turn against itself because in reality nations will look after their own long term interests despite any short run considerations.
By understanding mullahs’ dual personality, one can easily see the inner workings of power within this regime. For example, while pretending to have presidential and parliamentary elections, the ruling clerics astonishingly manage to only pullout those who they, specifically the Supreme Leader, select from the ballot boxes. For any reason, if someone falls through a loophole who is not one hundred percent approved, he will be eliminated as soon as the opportunity arises and be replaced by others.
For this, tens of checkpoints and filters have been built into the electoral system. To begin with, after 28 years, all of their people have passed through repeated tests of devotion and screenings. All those with influence have repeatedly demonstrated their absolute devotion and dedicated to the highest ranks of power.
One of the most widely known screening tests, during the 1988 massacres of political prisoners which cost the lives of tens of thousands regime’s opponents, anyone holding office was obligated to attend a number of executions and actively participate in them and even shoot the Coup de grace.
Participation in assassination of prominent opposition figures outside of Iran or taking part in internal elimination of opponents have been used by the mullahs to test devotees.
Furthermore, becoming a candidate for parliament requires “obedience and sincere belief in the Supreme Leader” as a precondition. This is actually written in Islamic Republic’s laws.
Those candidates, who meet the primary conditions, will then have to pass-through the screening done by the Expediency Council. The Council has 12 members of which 6 are mullahs selected directly by the Supreme Leader and the others mainly do administrative work although they are absolutely obedient.
The Expediency Council will “confirm the competency” of each individual candidate and anyone with slightest disagreement with the Supreme Leader is eliminated. During the elections of the current parliamentary term (the Seventh Parliament) 2300 people were eliminated from the elections by the Council. French daily, liberation on February 6, 2004 published these numbers. “There has never been a similarly fabricated election at these magnitudes since the 1979 revolution,” Wrote Liberation.
French Liberation reported on February 20, 2004 about the incoming parliamentarians that “the conservatives hold only 10-15 percent of traditional voters.” That amounts to a number between 4 to 6 million from a total of fifty million eligible voters. Even though such formed parliament, about 2/3 of its members (184 out of 288) officially belong to khamenei’s faction. And this combination is mainly consists of either revolutionary Guard’s members or active member of secret service forces, or diplomats who have been active in regime’s terrorist activities and exportation of fundamentalism.
Therefore the current parliament is a combination of Supreme Leader’s devotees. That is why they try their best to help in acquiring the nuclear weapon and establishing a fundamentalist rule in Iraq. They have even surpassed Ahmadinejad in many ways and frequently have asked the regime to leave the NPT. To this extent, The Supreme Leader, Ali Khamanei, at a meeting with the members on June 16, 2004 said, “I thank the dear members of parliamentarians, for their answers to our message at the beginning the session.” (ISNA June 18, 2004
