The secretary general of the Liberation Front of Iran, Dr. Ebrahim Yazdi speaks to Rooz about the key issues facing the country, noting that the current regime is reaching an internal dead-end, and that, "all factions are reaching the conclusion that the problems stem from the Velayat-e Faqih [rule of clereics] system. Below is the text of this interview:
Rooz (R): In your opinion, what was the nature of eighth Majlis elections, and what will be the nature of upcoming presidential election?
Ebrahim Yazdi [EY]: Let us first talk about the previous presidential election and then eighth Majlis elections. With clear standards that are recognized in today's world, which Iran has also ratified, the previous presidential election and the eighth Majlis elections were not free, not competitive, and not fair. When in the presidential election, someone like Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is among the founders of this regime, says I can only take my complaint to God, what does he mean? Mr. Hashemi wants to complain of what and against whom? In my opinion the Islamic Republic's general structure is gradually moving toward a macro-lock. Majlis and presidential elections were riddled with these fundamental problems and present policies are unfolding in a way that Iran is forced to take a historic decision and accept a fundamental turnaround.
R: What is your prediction about that? What will be the direction of Iran's developments?
EY: I believe that Iran, is not Afghanistan or Iraq to be attacked. Iran is not Libya either, to surrender in a way that entails packing its nuclear technology and shipping it to the United States. Iran is not North Korea to surrender. In Iran, a Ukrainian style velvet revolution, or a Georgian style orange revolution would not take place. So what is the direction of present developments in Iran? I believe that Iran is moving toward Soviet Union's model.
R: Which part of the Soviet Union model are you noting?
EY: Look, in Soviet Union a revolution did not take place, foreign attacks did not take place. However, foreign pressure in addition to mismanagement and sheer inability of country's leaders took the economy and politics of Soviet Union to a point where the Soviet Union's own leaders concluded that it is not possible to continue such conditions. Mr. Gorbachev and the entire central committee of the Soviet Union Communist Party concluded that it is not possible to continue the conditions that were present. A totalitarian regime may naturally reach a point where it concludes that it no longer is able to continue its path and it is necessary for some changes to occur. Such changes sparked a chain of events in the former Soviet Union. In my opinion, Iran's present leaders and officials, whether belonging to the left, right, radicals, etc. are gradually moving toward that direction.
R: In your opinion, Mr. Ahmadinejad is speeding up which particular developments?
EY: With his performance, Mr. Ahmadinejad is speeding up the process of fundamental revision in Iran's political structure. In this process, the last group of revolutionary guardians has topped the power structure and wants to behave like they did in the beginning of the revolution. What does this mean? It means that a bunch of ignorant people are put in charge and begin everything from point zero again. This is not effective. Therefore, I see Iran's developments moving toward a fundamental revision.
R: Would Iran's present legal structure be able to withstand such a revision?
EY: The first point is that Mr. Khomeini has signed the initial draft of the constitution prepared after the revolution by the temporary government, which did not contain the principle of "Valayat-e Faqih" [guardianship of Islamic jurist]. Therefore, it is baseless for Islamic Republic's present officials to claim Islamic Republic has no meaning without Velayat-e Faqih. The Islamic Republic's founder, the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, recognized and signed that constitution, which was an Islamic Republic without the Velayat-e Faqih. We say that 30 years have passed since then and we have gained experience, we can go back to that same constitution without Velayat-e Faqih, which was also signed by Ayatollah Khomeini.
