Hossein Mohammadi
Hasan Yousefi Eshkevari is a dissident cleric who was initially sentenced to death for his participation in an academic conference in Berlin, Germany, on Iran many years ago. Eshkevari was later released after spending four years in prison, but he is no longer permitted to wear the cleric's robes. We have spoken with Eshkevari about the upcoming Majlis parliamentary elections and issues facing the nation. Below are the excerpts of the interview.
Rooz (R): The upcoming Majlis elections are a hot topic in Iranian politics. It seems as if the election atmosphere has arrived earlier this year. What, in your opinion, are factors accounting for this?
Hasan Yousei Eshkevari (HYE): If we go back and review the build up to every election in the Islamic Republic, we see that officials, individuals and political parties, and in general, the movers and shakers of the political scene, always speak of the “importance” and “life changing” nature of any upcoming elections and invite the public to participate. Given the special conditions surrounding each election, this claim is true to some degree. However, the Islamic Republic reverts to this as a tactic to merely mobilize people ahead of the vote.
The same policy is at work for the upcoming Eight Majlis parliamentary elections. The aim is to mobilize the public and increase voter turnout. At the same time, it is true that, with the complete elimination of reformists, the performance of the Seventh Majlis and the administration, the very negative performance of these two, and the consequential bad economic, political, social and cultural conditions, and the dangers that are threatening the nation and society, the reformists are hopeful of victory and a return to government, and more moderate conservatives are also hoping to find appropriate replacements to prevent a complete domination by hardliners. In the middle of this, people and especially intellectuals and the urban middle class are interested in the continuation of the reformist project. All of these factors are involved in making the Eight Majlis elections a hot topic and the build up will continue in the coming days.
R: How much will these elections help the process of democratization in Iran?
HYE: On 6 Tir, 1384 [one day after Ahmadinejad’s election] I wrote in “Rooz” that until further notice democracy will not come out of the Guardian Council’s box, and I still stand by what I said. The leadership of the conservative faction has decided that no serious and influential reformist must find his way into important and key [and even insignificant] government positions. However, this does not mean that these elections have no effect on the democratization process, and that people and political actors should be indifferent to them.
R: What is your prediction of disqualifications, given the remarks of members of the Guardian Council?
HYE: I have no doubt that the Guardian Council, acting on behalf of state leaders, will not allow any serious and democratic-minded reformist candidates to even participate in the election process and will never allow reformists to comprise the majority faction or even an influential minority faction in the Majlis. However, if the Guardian Council is less strict, then it is possible that some moderate and less influential reformists can find their way into the Majlis and the current minority faction will increase in size by a few members.
