Iran's Coordination Council of Teachers' Unions Boycotts 'Mock Elections' of Parliament

The Coordination Council of Teachers' Unions of Iran announced on Thursday, March 1, that it is boycotting the 'mock elections' of the Parliament. In a statement published on its Telegram channel, the council stated that it 'acknowledges the inefficiency of the government and Parliament in solving cultural, economic, environmental, social, domestic, and foreign policy crises—results of the government's mismanagement—and thus boycotts the mock elections.' Previously, many political and civil figures, as well as organizations and political parties inside and outside Iran, have also called for a boycott of the March 11 elections for the Islamic Council and the Assembly of Experts. The council cited reasons for its boycott, including 'the existence of appointed, non-elected, and unaccountable institutions with absolute power from top to bottom of the government.' Other reasons include 'the complete monopolization of the fields of economy, politics, culture, judiciary, and security by the same appointed institutions and total restrictions on being elected and electing through the imposition of the same institutions via the appointed Guardian Council.' The statement noted that 'the entire Parliament stands against the people whenever they demand their legal rights, benefiting the government; so that instead of being representatives of the people, the parliamentarians have become representatives of the government.' The council also pointed out the 'lack of oversight by Parliament, which is its inherent duty, in crises such as inflation, unemployment, and the plundering of wealth and public resources by rent-seekers affiliated with appointed institutions and wealthy economic entities.' The organization emphasized that 'the people do not feel the Parliament in their real lives, as decision-making and policy-making in various fields are in the hands of non-elected power holders.' The statement further mentioned the 'definitive removal of Article 30 of the Constitution and the commodification of education for the purpose of capital accumulation and profit for unaccountable power brokers,' as well as 'the undermining of Articles 26 and 27 of the Constitution, which provided a mechanism for public participation in determining their fate, and the lack of attention to the imprisonment, expulsion, exile, and fabrication of cases against activists in the fields of education, labor, and women's rights who demand the revival of these principles.' The teachers' union criticized the majority of representatives for joining 'the gangs of mountain and land grabbers, smugglers, and appointing their unqualified relatives to key positions,' and for the lack of oversight by the legislative body 'over job security, salary increases in line with inflation for teachers, workers, employees, and retirees, as well as elected representatives of retirees in pension funds and the failure to prevent the plundering of their wealth by appointees of government institutions in these funds.' The council also referred to the approval of laws by members of Parliament that 'lead to the subjugation of the majority of the people and excessive capital accumulation for government-affiliated capitalists, and that they do not hesitate to use violence against the people whenever the government needs to suppress them.' The statement emphasizes that under these conditions, there is no room for democratic institutions like Parliament unless they are emptied of content so that everything becomes like everything else, as has been happening for years. The Coordination Council of Teachers' Unions of Iran expressed confidence that 'the people, with their rationality and social responsibility, will join us in this impactful action.'