Omid Memarian
o.memarian@roozonline.com

Dr. Gholamabbas Tavassoli is a sociologist, member of the Liberation Front, and a ‎founding member of the Iranian Sociology Association. In an exclusive interview with ‎Rooz, Tavassoli shares his concerns about the Guardian Council’s behavior ahead of the ‎upcoming Majlis elections. Below is an excerpt of this interview.
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Rooz (R): It has been announced that 200 of the registrants for the upcoming Majlis ‎elections have criminal backgrounds. How would this affect election campaigns?‎

Gholamabbas Tavassoli (GT): It is different if by criminal background they mean ‎political convictions or true criminal background. If these people have been convicted on ‎political charges then it is a different story. Criminal background is something clear and ‎people must follow the rules on that, but political charges are different. These two cannot ‎be mixed together. ‎

R: Who determines that they are different?‎

GT: The judiciary and the Majlis have been discussing the definition of political crimes ‎for years, but they have not yet defined what a political crime is and how it differs from ‎other types of crime. This lack of clarity can be abused by some. ‎

R: Now that the deadline to register has expired, how do you evaluate the participation ‎of various groups?‎

GT: A lot of people have registered and I hope that officials respond positively to this ‎enthusiasm. ‎

R: Why did you and your friends decided to participate in the elections this time around, ‎specially because you were disqualified multiple times before by the Guardian Council? ‎

GT: From our point of view, elections have different aspects. One aspect of elections is ‎democracy, according to which people must not be discouraged from participating, and ‎that is why boycotting is not the right thing to do. That harms the process of ‎democratization in society. Therefore, ever since we said we would participate, we have ‎shown our commitment through our actions. We hope that society can move toward ‎democracy through open elections, and to avoid the situation that arose in the past, where ‎people were not participating in the process of democratization because of their distance ‎from their government. ‎

R: In your opinion, what are some obstacles facing fair elections? ‎

GT: There are many problems with the election system, most importantly the Guardian ‎Council’s behavior and role in disqualifications… In any case, the problems persist, but ‎the process of people’s participation can be effective in pushing us toward democracy in ‎the far future, when the Constitution is implemented, and people know their citizenship ‎rights, and the government performs its duties. The more people participate in the ‎election process, the more probable reforms become. If people stay away they will be the ‎first ones to be harmed. ‎