“Elections in Iran are a show and fraud”

Administrators from Iranian and Eastern Kurdistani parties and organizations active in Sweden state that the election of “reformist” Rouhani will not change anything in Iran where all authority is in the hands of spiritual leader Ali Khamenei.

Administrators from Iranian and Eastern Kurdistani parties and organizations active in Sweden spoke to the ANF on the outcome of the elections in Iran.

Amir Babakri from the PJAK (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan) Sweden Committee mentioned that for the last 40 years, the Iranian regime only allowed candidates from certain faith and ethnic groups to run in the elections.

Babakri said the regime encourages the people to vote and thus achieve a high participation percentage, to help create the illusion for the outside world that there is democracy in the country and continued: “The elections are held between those who call themselves reformists and the conservatives. The people are told if they don’t vote for the reformists, the country will get worse. Reisi is responsible for the massacring of 3 thousand people. The people vote for the lesser evil. Our party announced this trick that is being pulled for the people to see. We didn’t vote for any candidate in the elections, but we told the people they could vote for the candidates they trust even though the municipal elections aren’t democratic.”

38 YEAR LONG POLICIES WILL CONTINUE

Babakri mentioned that in Iran, the Mullahs and Khamenei openly stated that the elected presidents can’t change Iran’s policies and that the country is run by the 12 people on the Constitution Protection Council and added: “The latest elections show that the 38 year long policies in Iran will continue. The situation will get worse for the peoples.”

PRESSURE ON THE PEOPLE WAS EASED SO THEY WOULD GO TO THE BALLOTS

Eastern Kurdistani Hamid Aliyali stated that Iran can’t be said to have held democratic elections and continued: “There is a delicate situation in Iran, which is under pressure from the outside world. Thus the elections were very important for the Iranian regime. The regime aimed to have a high percentage of participation, this way they wanted to show the outside world that the people care about the ballots and there is democracy in the country. To this end, the pressure was eased before the election to make it easier for the people to go to the ballots.”

Aliyali said the election results are not important and the determining force for Iranian domestic and foreign policy is spiritual leader Ali Khamenei, and added:

IRAN CAN’T GET OUT OF THE CHAOS IT’S IN WITH ELECTIONS

“Rouhani promised the people many things before the previous elections. The people thought there would be some change. The other candidate Ibrahim Reisi’s role in several massacres is known by the people. Even though Rouhani didn’t keep the promises he made before, the people voted for Rouhani so Reisi wouldn’t win. The people knew Rouhani wouldn’t keep his promises this time around either, but they chose Rouhani so the country wouldn’t get even worse.”

WOMEN WHO MAKE UP HALF OF SOCIETY WERE EXCLUDED

Leyla Abdavi from Eastern Kurdistan Free Women’s Coordination (KJAR) said the elections in Iran was like a stage play and that the position of women in the elections was ignored, and not discussed either in Iran or the outside world.

Abdavi pointed out that the regime didn’t accept any of the candidacies of 139 women and said: “Nobody discussed the regime’s approach. Women who make up half of the society were excluded from the start. Sharia law is in place in Iran, a Shia country. The law doesn’t see women as equal to men. Women are told they can’t be elected, but they can vote. The real oddity in Iran is this.” She added that the question “If women can’t run for office, why would they vote in the elections?” needs answering.

WOMEN ARE EXCLUDED FROM SOCIAL LIFE

Abdavi said the regime employed various methods to push women out of social and work life and to condemn them to the home and added: “Women are told they don’t need to work 45 hours a week, 38 hours is enough and they should handle the housework in the remaining time. This way, women are slowly pushed out of social life and walls are being built between women and the society.”

Abdavi said despite all pressure and punishment from the regime, women are constantly in resistance and objected the slavery and lifestyle forced upon them in various ways, and in Evin Prison in Iranian capital Tahran, female activist Atena Dayimi held a hunger strike for 35 days. Abdavi added that women have no alternative other than organizing and resisting to be rid of the pressure of the regime and to achieve their rights.

ELECTIONS ARE A FRAUD HELD TO TRICK THE WORLD

Mehrnosh Shafiee from Council of Defense for the Freedom Struggle of the Peoples of Iran defined the elections as a fraud held to trick the peoples of Iran and the outside world.

“What happened in Iran wasn’t an election. They put two famous or rather infamous candidates in front of the people. The people don’t have a choice but to elect one of these two. They are forcing the people to choose between cholera and malaria, and call it an election. They scare the people, they tell them “If you don’t choose one of these two, Iran will become Syria” and force them to vote,” said Shafiee and stressed that an election held under such conditions is not democratic and does not reflect the will of the people.

Shafiee mentioned that Rouhani didn’t keep any of his previous promises, and that pressure against workers, minorities and women increased as well as the executions, and continued: “The outcome of these elections won’t bring any good to the people. The reins will still be in Ali Khamenei's hands, but because it’s more suitable for the regime now and in the past, they made Rouhani the president.”

AS LONG AS KHAMENEI MAKES THE DECISIONS IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO IS PRESIDENT

Yusuf Soltani from PJAK said that as long as spiritual leader Ali Khamenei holds all authority, elections held in Iran don’t have much significance and added: “Whoever the president is, the laws can’t go into action unless Khamenei approves them. Rouhani can’t get some laws approved even if he tries. Also, Khamenei and the conservatives have the country’s intelligence service and the army under control. Without approval from these forces, Rouhani can’t do anything.”