A few days ago someone posted an article regarding how democracy and elections play out in different countries. Here’s how it works in Iran. Severely EFL. Please read the whole thing.
A couple of months ago Richard Armitage, the No. 2 at the U.S. State Department, described the Islamic Republic of Iran as "a sort of democracy."
| Using that reference system, I could describe myself as "sort of slender." |
Well, he was sort of right if by democracy we mean the holding of regular elections without bothering about their quality and purpose.
| Compared to Qazi and Fazl, my gut's hardly noticeable... |
In a normal democracy anyone who does not have a criminal record and meets basic qualifications, such as citizenship, is allowed to stand for elected office. But this is not the "sort of democracy" that Iran has had since the mullahs seized power in 1979. In Iran all candidates must be pre-approved by a body known as The Council of the Guardians of the Constitution, a 12-man, mullah-dominated organ appointed by Il Duce the "Supreme Guide" and answerable to him. These "guardian angels," as they are known not without irony, can decide who is a good Muslim and who is not. Good Muslims are allowed to stand for elections, and bad Muslims are pushed aside.
| "The Party looks out for the interests of the State, and the interests of the State are indentical with the interests of The People..." |
But even that is not the end of the story. A man regarded as a good Muslim and allowed to stand as a candidate may be reclassified suddenly as a bad Muslim after the election. In that case "the guardian angels" have the power to cancel the election, kick the newly discovered bad Muslim out of the parliament, and even send him to jail. The same man could enter one parliament as a good Muslim but be excluded from the next as a bad one. The present Speaker of the Majlis, a mullah named Mahdi Karrubi, was prevented from standing for election in 1994 because the "guardian angels" regarded him as a bad Muslim. By 1998, however, he had become a good Muslim once again and allowed to stand, was elected, and became Speaker. Next month he may, once again, become a bad Muslim and be kept out of the Majlis even if voters choose him. The story does not end there either. Even a parliament composed entirely of good Muslims cannot legislate as it deems fit. The "guardian angels" have the power to annul any piece of legislation they do not like.
I hope that Iraq does not adopt ’this sort of Democracy’ for their new government. The poster was correct. True democracy flows from freedom and individual rights and can not be handed down by someone or group. |