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Incisive "No" to the Strengthening of Tyranny and Lack of Rights!

Incisive "No" to the Strengthening of Tyranny and Lack of Rights!
Let Us not Participate in the Stagy Election!

Incisive "No" to the Strengthening of Tyranny and Lack of Rights!

Let Us not Participate in the Stagy Election!

With the announcement of the Guardian Council’s list for the June 2021 election, the fate of this period of "presidential election" was practically closed before it was held. The Guardian Council's decision to nominate Raisi, along with six others, was clear enough that prominent disqualified figures could not condone it and try to confront the Guardian Council. But this decision by the Guardian Council showed that the head of regime, in its self-made dilemma, considered it dangerous to incite any even limited competition at the top hierarchy of the system. It is not strange that in Khamenei's speech, neither during the "election" of the 13th parliament nor in the upcoming presidential "election", he did not emphasize on mass participation and in his last speech he emphasized the "duty" of the people to participate in the elections. The hallmark of this "election" should be seen not in the usual promises and encouragements of the past, but in the rhetoric threats and intimidation of today and in reminding of the "red lines" and threatening those who have turned their backs on this "election" and are seeking to boycott it.

The disqualification of Khamenei's closest confidants from the fundamentalist and reformist forces by the Guardian Council indicates that the regime is trying to hold a guaranteed "election." The regime of the Islamic Republic avoids even controlled competition. This feeling of insecurity reflects the fear of the head of the regime against any emergence from within the depths of the society and in any form. The sharp polarization between the regime and the society has left no room for polarization within the regime.

Goals Beyond the Presidential Election!

Khamenei on February 11, 2019, in a message entitled "The second step of the revolution" described the characteristics of the Islamic Republic in fifth decade of its life. In the same message, he outlined the prospects for the developments ahead of the Islamic Republic. What he described as the characteristics of the desirable president in this year's New Year (Nowruz) message was explicitly stated in the same message: "Young government", "Revolutionary and Hezbollah" are no longer just words. Now and in the current situation, the second step are entangled with the most important issues of the regime, including confrontation with the United States, the issue of succession and the movements of the people, and it is being implemented in practice.

In the upcoming election, goals beyond electing a president from within will be pursued. Unifying of the elected institutions of the country and their coordination with the appointed institutions and ensuring full cooperation with Khamenei's intended successor is a key link in this "election". Also, taking advantage of the situation after the lifting of sanctions and the release of blocked assets, efforts to make governance more efficient, despite the removal of other parts of its current structure are part of the unannounced plan of the governing body.

Unlike Khomeini, Khamenei intends to decide on the choice of his successor while he is alive. Therefore, monopolizing the executive branch, headed by the president, is of paramount importance after the monopolization of the parliament. He does not have many options. Choices for post-Khamenei future are too limited to be risky.

Raising Raisi’s situation has been going on for a long time. Raisi is one of those who has spent most of his life in the Islamic Republic system and in important judicial positions. He has come a long way from being member of Khomeini's “Death Committee”, the deputy of the Judiciary and the head of the Special Clerical Court, Khamenei and the whole range of authoritarians and fundamentalists’ candidate for presidency in 2017 to guardianship of the Astan Quds Razavi and the head of the judiciary. And now he is standing on the threshold of the presidency without a serious rival. Raisi is one of the most possible successors of Khamenei among all current regime affiliates. Although he has little support among the clergy, he is instead supported by Khamenei and the regime's security and military institutions. The suppression of his serious rivals in this election, including Ali Larijani, and the reduction of competition with him to little known figures and some of his own supporters show the high sensitivity of the center of power and Khamenei himself in his smooth election without any hassle. Whatever his role in the future would be, it is not limited to the position for which he is elected, beyond that, it will be related to the selection of the third leader of the Islamic Republic.

Deepening the Gap Between the Regime and the People

The people's turning away from the regime has become more obvious in the recent years, and the uprisings of the people in November 2017 and December 2019 were manifestations of this turning away. The country's economic bankruptcy, widespread unemployment, homelessness, the outbreak of the Corona virus and the resulting deaths have made the situation more difficult, pushed large portion of the population below the poverty line, and exposed the government's inability to contain economic, social, and political crises.

Today, the Islamic Republic has a limited base. The regime is afraid of clashes with the people and maintaining the security of the system has become its main and daily concern.

Transformation of "elections" into appointments and elimination of minimal competition among the regime’s officials, in practice will strengthen the totalitarian aspects of the Islamic Republic and will strengthen the position of the centers of power that have hitherto been known as shadow or parallel government. In the fifth decade of the Islamic Republic's existence, the regime seeks to eliminate internal competition, unify central power, and make governance more unanimous, no matter how successful it may be.

The conditions of the Guardian Council before registration and the subsequent disqualifications showed that the regime was determined to change its internal structure. The Guardian Council actions left no choice for a large faction of the reformist forces. What the Guardian Council left for the reformists in the electoral basket is neither acceptable to the reformists nor is the issue of choosing their social base to an even more limited extent. The day after the candidates were announced, many reformist organizations announced that they had no candidate to choose from. Even though the mainstream reformist movement remains in its position of not participating to this day, however, some reformist organizations and individuals are whispering about participating in the "election". The present time is a moment with countless consequences and sensitive political choice for the reformist spectrum. Reformists whose plans and concerns are to create a political open space and to expand political and social freedoms are bound to make new political choices. We call on the reformists protesting the "mandated elections" to stand up for their position in refusing to participate in the election and to know that any action other than this will be a coup de grace to their political life.

Boycott is the only Option!

The people's turning away from the regime and the boycott of the mandated election were clear months ago, but the regime's decision to unprecedentedly suppress the candidates has added to the scale of the boycott. The experience of the last two decades has taught people not to hope for a miracle at the ballot box of the Islamic Republic. Change in the people’s living conditions is possible only by forcing the regime to retreat and imposing their will on it. In this round, the vanguard force of the boycott is the majority of the people who held the banner of the election boycott. There is no good reason left to participate in such an election now.

The Left Party of Iran (People’s Fadaian) considers the boycott of the regime's stagy election as a step towards building a collective will to confront the coercion of the Islamic Republic and end the dictatorship of Supreme Leader Khamenei. We call on the secular and democratic Republican forces to unite around the slogan of active boycott of the regime election and to unite with all freedom-loving forces to fight for free elections as one of the most important and basic conditions for achieving a free and just society. Let us work hand in hand to pave the way for a social movement for change by resonating with the "DO NOT VOTE" voice; We call on all our compatriots to further strengthen the democratic movement for the transition to democracy in Iran by boycotting the Islamic Republic’s stagy election. Let us try to demonstrate the power of the people to take control of the destiny of society by encouraging the organization and formation of various parts of the popular movements.

 

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

June 5, 2021

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