Following the introduction of Mohammad Khatami's name by the Islamic Iran Participation Front (Jebhey-e Mosharekat) and the Mujahedin of Islamic Revolution Organization (Sazman-e Mojahedin) as their desired candidate for the tenth election, many discussions for and against Khatami's presence have taken place. In order to shed light on some of the issues, we have discussed the matter with Ahmad Shirzad, Isfahan's representative in the Sixth Majlis and member of the Participation Front's central committee.
Rooz (R): As a political activist, what is your opinion on Mr. Khatami's participation in the election?
Ahmad Shirzad (AS): Personally, I support Mr. Khatami's participation in the presidential election, granted that there is a hope for the masses and elite to welcome such participation.
R: What in your opinion accounts for the relative lack of support - at least not as much as expected - for Mr. Khatami in the society?
AS: Actually one cannot judge on this issue. There have been agreements and disagreements, but in 1997 a similar event took place, meaning at that time there was a kind of dissatisfaction with the leadership's authoritarian and totalitarian actions, a kind of dissatisfaction and tiredness. It was due to that tiredness that society welcomed Mr. Khatami's discourse. However, I do not want to be afflicted with unnecessary optimism and say that Mr. Khatami will definitely be elected. On the other hand, there is no reason to be pessimistic and think that society will always be indifferent to issues. In other word, society will certainly react to the mismanagements.
R: The important discussion in this midst is the level of public and elite welcoming of Mr. Khatami. The question remains that, what did Mr. Khatami and reformists in general did during the eight years of Reform Movement, and what can they do now?
AS: After the Ahmadinejad Administration came to power and also toward the end of Khatami's term, we were repeatedly asked by the public and elite about what we had done. But now I think that the performance of Mr. Ahmadinejad's Administration has provided the response to this question! That does not mean that the reformists' performance is not prone to criticism; certainly there are criticisms. However, the present administration's performance is such that it is impossible to even criticize it. Currently the Principalists hold all levers of power and have shamelessly deprived their opponents of participating in elections. All critical variables around us also have worked to their favor, such as the price of oil. Regardless, we are having trouble meeting the basic, daily needs of the people, things for which we had plans previously, such as electricity, water, gas, petroleum, etc. Everything is mishmashed. The issue of competence is a fundamental one.
R: Nevertheless, one cannot gaurantee victory for Mr. Khatami.
AS: Yes, but we must pick a candidate whose chance of losing is not very high. Therefore, we think that Mr. Khatami meets the criteria. Although our suggestion is that other candidates from the various reformist groups enter the competition so that we can measure the public opinion. In any case, it is easier to measure public opinion in presidential election than in Majlis elections. Reliable surveys can be conducted about the popularity of limited and certain figures from different groups in all parts of the country and it can be estimated with reliable accuracy who has better chances of triumph.
R: Another issue which seems to be a big problem for reformists is the integrity of elections. In light of the experience of the eighth Majlis elections, how much can people be certain about the integrity and health of the elections?
AS: Unfortunately, given the particular environment in the Interior Ministry and the history of supervisory institutions, the situation is very worrisome. In reality, one cannot in any way gaurantee the integrity of election. The only factor that can help make the situation better is that, whenever public participation is higher in elections, the situation is better. If the votes of reformist and conservative candidates are close, it is highly probable that result will be manipulated. However, if, like 1997, the votes of one candidate are much higher than the other, I do not think they are able to change the result so easily.
