THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN IS FACING ITS BIGGEST POLITICAL TEST IN 28 YEARS

In four months time, Iranian people will participate in a parliamentary election. A challenging election for the people and most definitely a crucial one for the Islamic Republic.

First, I would like to delve into the neighbouring country's, Iraq, developments after almost four years of occupation.


The US and its allies have toppled the Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq in 2003. The first aim of the invasion was to remove the so-called Weapons of Mass Destruction(WMD) from the Saddam's hand. The failure to find any such weapons in Iraq forced the invaders to turn to the issues of human rights and democracy for Iraqis. The irony is that Saddam was in power for almost three decades in Iraq, when his regime was enjoying all kinds of support from the West. Have the human and democratic rights of Iraqis been violated by him during his rule? Oh yes, they have! Have the US and its allies seen those violations? Of course they have! So, why did not they stop him then but now? All of these questions and many others should be asked when it comes to talk about war for human rights and democracy for the people of the Middle East. But, I guess it called politics and interests. I leave it here.

However, regardless of the above questions and answers, today, what we see in Iraq is that Iraqis, from all sides of political spectrum and religious believe, are freely participated in political process. In Iraq, there is no undemocratic single body to check the eligibility of the political parties and individuals for their participation in an election. There is freedom of press, media, and freedom of speech, sounds like a good start for a democratic country to me.

Now, in Iran, there is no freedom of press, media or freedom of speech. There are lawyers, journalists, university students, academics and the union activists in jail, news papers have been banned on a regular basis. Political parties are not existed. There is no free political activity in Iran, unless you follow the powerful minority.

On top of these, there are different unelected, undemocratic bodies in place to make sure that an election is not free and fair for all! No kidding, I am serious. I give you a very prominent example, the Guardian Council, its role is to check and pass the eligibility of the candidates before an election. The twelve members body has power to even reject all of the candidates before they can be tested by the people's vote! This means these twelve persons will decide for the whole eligible voters in the country even before an election is held! Is not it a joke? I would say it is! This kind of joke has been going on for far too long in Iran.

Well, this coming parliamentary election is different. It has different characteristics, the time is different, the Islamic Republic's position front of people inside Iran is different, and the Islamic Republic position front of the world is also different. Iranian people have closely been watching the political process in both neighbouring countries Afghanistan and Iraq in the last seven years. They are perfectly aware of their political system in place in Iran, and they are not happy with it. They know that it is time to demand their human and democratic rights, now! They can do it by demanding a free and fair election for all Iranian, and it is up to the political bodies in Iran to choose, which way they prefer to go.

There are not many options available for the authorities, either you are with the people or against them!

We have to wait and see it in four months time!