Hossein Mohammadi
We have spoken with Ali Mazroui, member of the reformist Mosharekat Party's central committee and president of the Association of Iranian Journalists, about the upcoming Majlis [Parliamentary] elections and the disqualification of reformist candidates. Below is an excerpt of this interview.
Rooz (R): Mr. Mazroui, the spokesperson for the Guardian Council has announced that all districts will have competitive races. Is this true for reformists?
Ali Mazroui (AM): What the gentleman means by "competition" is not clear to me. If by competition they mean the quantity of candidates, then they can make such a claim. But if by competition they mean a real competition between diverse groups and ideologies, then most of the races will not be competitive. It is evident to us that the upcoming parliamentary elections will not be competitive, in the true sense of the word.
(R): How many candidates does the reformist coalition currently have across the country?
(AM): According to what we have heard so far, which is not official by the way, at most 60 races are relatively competitive. Even though our most prominent candidates have been disqualified, there are some who are "somewhat" reformists.
(R): What about the Mosharekat Party? Do you have any exclusive candidates?
(AM): Almost nowhere in the nation do we have exclusive candidates. In other words, all of Mosharekat Party's candidates were disqualified, across the country. We may have one or two candidates in Tehran.
(R): What is your reaction to the disqualification of your candidates?
(AM): Our slates are not finalized yet, but in any case, we had accepted from the beginning to act as a coalition, and we will stay in the coalition until the end.
(R): Reformists have lost in every election since the seventh Majlis elections. Do you have any special plans to reverse this trend?
(AM): Your questions are very difficult, because when you say "reformists," I don't know who you are referring to. There are many groups within the reformist camp that believe in the movement's general guidelines. Furthermore, the past few elections have not been competitive, and reformists were not given a chance to participate in competitive elections.
(R): What are your plans for the future?
(AM): How did people spread awareness in the past? We will speak to our supporters, use on-line resources, the world has not come to an end!
(R): Is this enough to raise society's awareness?
(AM): If someone has an alternate plan they can share it with us.
(R): Don't you think you have squandered many opportunities?
(AM): In any case, if the road was paved and we could progress quickly we wouldn't have been here today. We are involved in a political struggle and the future is not predictable. As reformists, we have reached the conclusion that, to reach democracy, we have to raise society's awareness.
(R): Mr. Mazroui! Will you vote in the eight Majlis elections?
(AM): I haven't decided yet. Ask me on the election day!
