Mohammad Ali Amouei, former central committee member of Iran's largest and oldest ‎communist party, the Tudeh Party, argues in an interview with Rooz that participation in the ‎election is currently useless, adding, "The conditions today are significantly worse than they ‎were during Mr. Khatami's eight-year tenure." You can read the interview below.‎

Rooz (R): As you are aware, Mr. Khatami has announced that either he or Mr. Mousavi would ‎run in the upcoming election. In your opinion, which of the two candidates has a better chance ‎of defeating Ahmadinejad? ‎

Mohammad Ali Amouei (MAA): The two candidates that you named are the most prominent ‎out of all, and both possess honesty and integrity that is reflected in their backgrounds. ‎However, from the point of view of managing society and duties bestowed on a president, such ‎as full implementation of the Constitution, Mr. Khatami's eight-year experience proved that he is ‎incapable of doing that. Mr. Mousavi too, who was the prime minister during the war, faced ‎problems over and over and only Mr. Khomeini's support prevented the country from plunging ‎into various crises. Also, we must note that today the composition of regime's leadership is ‎much different than it was during Mr. Mousavi's tenure as prime minister. As a result, his role ‎and achievements in that time cannot accurately reflect the conditions of Iran's society today. ‎Therefore, in general, I personally believe that until obstacles facing a president's full ‎implementation of its duties are not clarified and ways to mitigate them are not devised, ‎participation in the election is useless. ‎

R: So in your opinion, under current conditions the possibility of a reformist victory is bleak?‎

MAA: If the reformists want to take over the executive branch, in my opinion they are facing ‎much tougher times now than they did during Mr. Khatami's eight-year tenure. You must note ‎that at that time they controlled the Majlis as well, but right now a different Majlis, composed ‎mostly of Principalist gentlemen, is in charge. How do our reformist friends hope to attract the ‎popular vote? And suppose they succeed in that, and ride the wave of discontent among the ‎majority and gather votes for themselves; what can they do with that vote, and what programs or ‎goals can they realize? I am yet to see a clear roadmap from the gentlemen. ‎

R: The difference though is that this time Mr. Mousavi has joined Mr. Khatami in the same ‎camp. Up to now, Mr. Mousavi had been unwilling to enter the political stage. ‎

MAA: The reality is that we are not aware of what's going on behind the scene. Once before ‎when Mr. Mousavi's name was being thrown around as a possible candidate, rumors were heard ‎that he was threatened by pressure groups and he subsequently resigned. Now, whether such ‎pressures have increased or decreased, and whether some backroom promises have been made, I ‎am not aware. My guess is that the regime's leadership intends to increase participation rates by ‎fueling competition.‎

R: Do you think there is a social movement to support the reformists through victory over ‎Ahmadinejad and his military backers? ‎

MAA: In order for Mr. Ahmadinejad to be defeated there must be a vast social movement like ‎the one that supported Mr. Khatami in 1997. Right now we don't see that kind of enthusiasm and ‎dedication. ‎

R: Under what conditions could we see such enthusiasm? ‎

MAA: If the Guardian Council's role in the election is curtailed and the possibility of an ‎independent monitoring of the election is present, then people's participation rate could increase. ‎