Join Together to Boycott the Parliamentary Election Show

Join Together to Boycott the Parliamentary Election Show!

One month left to the eleventh parliamentary elections. This so called election will be held in a situation that one of the biggest upheavals and widespread protest of the last past four decades and the violent repression by the regime happened nearly three months ago. Yet the Islamic Republic (IR) has not provided any information regarding the number of those killed and arrested during those protests. During the last months, our country has faced important and influential events in the political arena. Assassination of Soleimani, mass mobilization for his funeral by the regime and trying to take advantage of it, throwing a few rockets at US bases in Iraq, firing missiles at an Ukranian airliner by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and worst of all, regime’s denial that ignited anger in the society with radical protests against the IR regime and its lying Supreme leader.

While still prosecuting and imprisoning opponents, censuring journalists, writers, activist workers, women, students, environmentalists, etc., arresting, torturing and sentencing them to heavy jail time and lying to the people all the time, the IR attempts to bring the people to polling stations to earn its legitimacy from the very same oppressed people. On the one hand, the Guardian Council has rejected qualification of close to a hundred of past parliamentarians, because of lack of adherence to Islam and has sharpened its “Consultative Supervision” knife even upon those who not so long ago were known as "conservatives". On the other hand, Ali Khamenei has closed eyes on all these repressive measures and shamelessly, invites people to insure the legitimacy of the regime by their participation in this so called elections.

There have never been free elections in the life time of the IR. In this regime, no political parties, civil society organizations and media are free and no information can be exchanged freely. There has never been right to speak and write freely for the opposition, and today more than ever, this right is being trampled. The parliament also has become an institution with no power under the guillotine of the Supreme leader and Guardian Council which is not able - even if it wants to - make major changes. An example is experience of the "Hope Fraction" (a parliamentary group in the Iranian Parliament, established after 2016 elections by reformists and pro-Rouhani administration politicians) in the current parliament, which yielded nothing but disappointment, represents the inability of the current balance of forces in the parliament to change the laws in favor of the people.

Left political, democratic and freedom-loving forces, at home and abroad, consider this election a show and boycott it. Even some reformist forces do not want to be rubber stamps for this parliamentary election show. With due attention to the current situation of the regime and its relations with the people and its suppressive policies in violating people’s basic rights, it is important that political currents resonate their voices to say “NO” to this election. Today, election has opened a field before the opposition forces that in the context of widespread discontent of the people with the regime and lies and hypocrisy that the regime has delivered, to form boycott atmosphere against the parliamentary election show. To form movement of "No!" to the election show, it is very important and essential that the isolated actions merge. We believe it would be a severe blow to the ruling tyranny if all the forces who are for establishment of democracy and transition from the Islamic Republic (IR), by inviting people not to attend the polling stations, take action against the eleventh parliamentary election show. At this very moment, encouraging people to broadly boycott the elections, is the most civilized method of protest and struggle against the ruling tyranny.

For the purpose of applying pressure on the IR, the Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian), by emphasizing on the importance of boycotting the elections under the current circumstances, asks all members and friends of the party to encourage people not to attend the polling stations. We have an obligation to prevent the regime to bring people to the poles once again with deception, lies and empty promises. As an across-the-board action, any vote that is denied, would be a heavy blow to the regime and bring fear into dictators’ hearts. We understand the importance of every single vote and use them to bring the ruling dictators to their knees. Today, our votes are our weapons, we shoot them into the heart of tyranny.

Our party once again, declares its readiness to adopt a common position with all the forces who are seeking transition from the IR and the establishment of democratic secular republic in the country.

Political-Executive Bureau of the Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian)

January 23, 2020