In its most recent poll, or fabricated statistics, the official news agency of the Islamic ‎Republic of Iran (IRNA) said this in order to achieve a specific desired impact: “For ‎more than 84 percent of the public, belief in Velayat Faghih (i.e. rule of the clergy), is the ‎most important priority when selecting a representative to the Majlis.”‎

According to the findings of this polling based on a sampling of 5,377 individuals above ‎the age of 18 years – i.e. those who are eligible to vote in the March 14 Majlis elections –‎‎84.1 percent from Tehran and eight highly populated provincial centers said that from ‎amongst the features of a Majlis representative, “belief and commitment to the Velayat ‎Faghih” was the most important one.‎

It is noteworthy that according to the claims of the IRNA officials, the results of this poll ‎regarding the importance of “belief and commitment to Velayat Faghih” as an attribute ‎by a Majlis representative, 62.6 percent had responded by selecting “very high” and ‎‎“high” to the question. ‎

The first question that comes to mind about these pollings is that where do people who ‎have such beliefs live, particularly as their presence is not normally felt. The other ‎question then is whether the individuals that are polled are telling the truth or lying. Or is ‎it the officials of the official news agency that are fabricating these figures and response. ‎And finally, are we then to expect that the results of the elections to the eight Majlis that ‎are scheduled to take place on March 14 will be in the same light as these polls, both in ‎the number of people polled and in their composition?‎

If this polling is an example of how officials do their counts, and the results of the ‎forthcoming eight Majlis elections and the number of participants in the elections may be ‎expected to be “engineered”, then one must ask the reformers in Iran whether people ‎should fully participate in the forthcoming elections when the composition of the Majlis ‎and the number of those who will participate has already been predetermined?‎

At the same time a question will also have to be asked of the hardliners: If the results of ‎the above poll are certain, and the public has these beliefs about the candidates to the ‎Majlis, i.e. they strongly believe that belief in the Velayat Faghih is the important ‎question, then is it not time after 30 years of Islamic rule that an independent poll or a ‎referendum be allowed to be organized by independent circles around these two or three ‎basic questions: Do you still believe in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran; ‎the leader of the regime, and; the principle of Velayat Faghih (rule of the clergy)?‎