Call of Four Republican Parties and Organizations for Boycotting the Election Show

Call of Four Republican Parties and Organizations for Boycotting the Election Show

Let us Perpetuate November and January Protests by Boycotting the Parliamentary Elections!

Less than three weeks remain to the eleventh parliamentary elections. From the beginning, the IR by institutionalizing discrimination and restrictions against candidates’ right, founded a structure that institution of the supreme leader by mediation of the Guardian Council (GC) picks candidates of their choice, controls the campaign and practically reduces the elections to indirect appointment. During the past four decades, formal channels of political participation and passing through the filter of GC has been gradually tightened and this process has been intensified in the upcoming "election". As a result, the parliamentary elections will be held in an extremely cold atmosphere. Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and conservatives have decided to seize the overwhelming majority in the parliament and unify it.

This decision has been made at a time when the country is in a deadlock situation and facing with an all-out crisis. These crises has intensified from the last elections onward. Within this period of time, our country has put behind risky days and very important events: From the January 2018 popular protests to the January 2020 uprise in more than 150 cities and 29 provinces after sudden gasoline price hike, from killing of hundreds of demonstrators to arrest of thousands of protesters, from firing on the Ukranian passenger aircraft and killing 176 people on board, from lying and concealing it in three days to widespread protests of students in various universities of the country and pressure on Ali Khamenei and IRGC, from the crippling economic sanctions by the US government to huge fluctuations in the dollar and gold markets, massive corruptions, poverty, unemployment and deepening class divide.

These events have changed the political situation. Polls show that discontent of the regime in the society, especially from the economic crisis reached its peak and people see the policies and practices of the regime as the main cause of paralysis of the economy, the misery involved in the lives of most people, the isolation of Iran in the world and the escalation of tensions in the region. On the other hand, in the November uprise and students’ protest, the people’s fear from the regime faded away in people's minds and repression and killings were not able to silence the protests. Atmosphere of discontent and protest in the society is still extremely high and can be ignited by any spark. Events of the past few months have forced the IR to a weak position, strengthened the voices of protest, accelerated split in the body of the regime and intensified challenge in its "upper” part.

Despite the critical situation of the country, the regime is not only defying any change in its policies and performance but also for the purpose of tightening the circle of power, has taken step toward integrating more and heightening security atmosphere and trying again to engineer the parliamentary election. They cannot tolerate any opposition voices in the parliament and want to have only those who are puppet of the Khamenei. Their military, information-security instituitions want to have upper hand in political and social fields and have more share form the economic resources. In this regards, the GC has planned to have a more and more obedient parliament.

But it should be noted that Parliament has not had an efficient and important role in the political structure of the Islamic system and has retreated against any order of Khamenei. The regime reliance is not on the people and parliament but on the IRGC, multiple security-information-propaganda organs and its limited social base. With its widespread propaganda, the IR is trying to bring the people to the polling stations to revive its goner legitimacy and claim that people have again shown their loyalty to the regime. Khamenei recently said: "Some may not like me but if someone likes Iran should come to the polls." But this Mr. Khamenei sentenced some of those who were not “in love” with him and were calling for his resignation to 72 years in prison.

We, four democratic, republican and patriotic parties and organizations emphasize that in this case, participation in the election show, even with blank votes is considered as approval of the regime. In order to defeat the regime’s attempt to restore its goner legitimacy and to claim that the people are its backers, we call on people not to show up at the polling stations and demonstrate their protest in any possible way. Leaving polling stations and ballot boxes empty and boycotting actively can strengthen the protest movement and cause another blow to the Islamic Republic (IR) and further discredit it. An active boycott, in continuation of the November and January protests is an opportunity for linking boycotting elections to the street protests.

We also support " Esfand Without Voices” campaign.

Political-Executive Bureau of:

United Republicans of Iran

The Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian)

Iran National Front Organizations Abroad

Union for Secular Republic and Human Rights in Iran (USRHR)

February 8, 2020