Over five hundred threw their hats in the ring. All but seven have been disqualified. According to former Iranian diplomat Mehrdad Khonsari, rage against the vetting machine is unprecedented.
There is not
a moderate of any stature on the list of candidates for the next president of
Iran. In this sort of "controlled democracy," there is usually a
sense of tension, suspense and at least limited debate. This time less than in
recent memory.
Both
President Hassan Rouhani, whose vice president was barred from the short list,
and Sadeq Larijani, from one of Iran's most powerful families and whose brother
was disqualified, have spoken out about the dearth of choice. Larijani,
incidentally, is even on the very vetting organization, the Guardian Council,
that he has lambasted.
And armchair
consensus is that there is really only one name to watch: Ebrahim Raisi.
Confidante of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei Notorious for playing a role in the
execution of 7,000 prisoners after the Iran-Iraq War; Chief justice of Iran.
"The regime
in Iran seems bent on wanting to secure the election of a hardliner and in
particular Mr. Raisi," Mehrdad Khonsari told Fox News. He said this is
especially important now that Khamenei is of advanced age and talk of
succession is more regular. Khonsari thinks the supreme leader wants to protect
his revolution and proteges by making sure all branches of power are in his
hands, or the hands of the "deep state," as Khonsari likes to call
that most inner of inner circles. Hard-liners already have the judiciary and
parliament locked in. They just need the presidency.
"This
assures that the leadership in the 'deep state,' that were something to happen
to Ayatollah Khamenei in the next four to eight years, elements supportive of
their interests will be in key places to control the future of Iran,"
Khonsari said.
No comments:
Post a Comment