Iran Teachers Boycott Sham Election To Protest Against Lack Of Democracy
Iranian teachers have vowed to boycott Friday’s parliamentary elections, joining a widespread protest against the lack of true democracy.
Iranian teachers have vowed to boycott Friday’s parliamentary elections, joining a widespread protest against the lack of true democracy.
In a statement, the Coordination Council of Teachers Associations in Iran announced its decision to abstain from participating in the vote.
The council cited concerns over the control of “all aspects of the economy, politics, culture, security, and judiciary by the subordinate branches of appointed institutions”.
It comes as a growing number of political, social, and cultural activists have also vowed to join the boycott, with over 275 people having already declared their intention to abstain from the March 1 elections for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts.
Prisoners of conscience who have been jailed for their opposition views have also declared they will not vote.
In response to the growing boycott, Mustafa Rostami, the head of the Office of the Supreme Leader's Representative in Universities, urged the public to take part in the elections.
He said on Thursday: "Those seeking to disintegrate Iran will receive a strong response through public participation in elections."
He added in an extraordinary outbust: "Opponents of participation in elections are those who support the killers of women and children in Gaza and do not value the people's votes."
The backdrop to the political climate includes widespread opposition among Iranian voters to the regime's foreign policy, particularly its support for Israel. The dissent is fuelled by dissatisfaction with domestic governance, disillusionment with the political system's lack of accountability, and disapproval of Iran's involvement in conflicts abroad.
Iran's political landscape is characterized by significant authoritarianism, with power concentrated in the hands of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and unelected bodies like the Guardian Council. The lack of political competition and accountability further discourages participation in the electoral process.
However, the timing and context of these statements on Wednesday, just two days before the March 1 elections, raise questions about their authenticity and purpose.
For many years, Iranians and Iran watchers have wondered if Khamenei has been grooming his son to succeed him, especially with presenting him as a religious scholar, a trait seen as important for the future ruler.
The Assembly has the constitutional role of selecting the next ruler after Khamenei’s passing and its composition important for the Supreme Leader.
Mahmoud Mohammadi Araghi, a cleric close to Khamenei and a current Assembly of Experts member, stated in an interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) that Khamenei has voiced his disapproval of the committee's suggestion to appoint his son as the next leader. The committee which includes President Ebrahim Raisi is composed of three Assembly of Experts members to identify suitable successors for Khamenei and to introduce them to him for consideration.
Similarly, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, another candidate for the AoE election whose credentials were first rejected by the Guardian Council and then approved at the last minute, has also reiterated that Khamenei is against the idea of hereditary succession.
However, Pourmohammadi emphasized his readiness to support any candidate deemed fit to succeed Khamenei, irrespective of their familial ties.
The timing of these remarks and Iranian officials including Khamenei's concerns about an expected low turnout that endangers the regime's legitimacy gives rise to speculations about these remarks having been dictated by Khamenei to tell the voters that their voting will not be meaningless and that his successor has not been chosen beforehand.
On the other hand, Mohamadi Araghi's account of Khamenei's opposition to hereditary succession dates back to nearly three decades ago when Khamenei was not as confident and arrogant as the present time.
The remarks made by the two candidates about Khamenei's opposition to hereditary succession come only a few days after several AoE members confirmed that the committee of three has already made its decision about the succession. One Assembly of Experts member who was sure about the process of selecting the next leader having been completed, said that his name will not be revealed as officials fear that foreign agents might assassinate him!
Despite the suggestions about Khamenei's opposition to hereditary succession, some clerics such as Qom Seminarian Sadeq Mohammadi insisted that Khamenei's son Mojtaba is still one of the choices for succession.
Mohamadi Araghi also made other controversial statements apparently aimed to pacify disgruntled voters to go to the polls for the parliamentary and AoE elections on Friday. He said the Islamic Republic's former and current leader have always preferred non-clerics as President and cabinet ministers. However, five of Iran's eight presidents since 1979 have been clerics.
Asked about why he thinks the Guardian Council barred former President Hassan Rouhani from running for a seat on the Assembly, Mohammad Araghi said the rejection of Rouhani's qualifications was probably related to matters other than his religious and academic credentials, but he refused to say what those matters were.
Rohani had said earlier that the next round of the Assembly of Experts is more important than the previous rounds as it might be time for the Assembly to make tough decisions about succession. Mohammad Araghi also said that Khamenei is aging and most probably electing the next Supreme Leader will have to be done by the new Assembly of Experts.
However, if the committee and Khamenei have already chosen the successor, the Assembly will become redundant, and its decision may not be needed. To be on the safe side, like several other AoE members, Mohammadi Araghi also said that he hopes Khamenei will be alive until the Shiites' hidden Imam emerges from occultation, where they believe he has been for nearly 14 centuries.
