IRGC's Coup Against Elected Institutions: 'Eliminate Elections or Vote for Us'

Everyone knows that the IRGC and Basij have an active presence in the areas of politics (both domestic and foreign), economy, society, cyberspace, and more. This presence has gradually expanded, and it seems they are not satisfied with any limits. They consider the elected institutions of the Islamic Republic as obstacles to their absolute dominance. That is, even when the Guardian Council eliminates opponents, critics, and rivals through its supervisory oversight, restricting elections to regime insiders, people still do not vote for military candidates among the remaining nominees, and fraud has not only been costly but has not resolved their entangled issues (refer to the article 'Why Do People Not Vote for the Revolutionary Guards and Security Figures from the 1980s?'). The consequences of the electoral fraud in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency were so severe that this tactic was ineffective in the 2013 and 2017 elections for the presidency of figures like Mohsen Rezaei, Ghalibaf, Saeed Jalili, and Ebrahim Raisi. The Prime Minister during Ayatollah Khomeini's era - Engineer Mousavi - who was imposed on Ali Khamenei by him, has now been under house arrest with his wife for over eight years. Four presidents during Ayatollah Khamenei's leadership - namely Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Hassan Rouhani - have also not ended well. 'The people's vote' even in a quasi-democratic system has its effects on the elected, and even Ahmadinejad, the IRGC-imposed 'value-oriented and principlist' who 'redirected the train of the revolution,' claims that the turnout has increased from 25 million to 35 million and can stand against the unelected leader and sit at home to avoid the impositions of the Supreme Leader. Ahmadinejad has now become a thorn in the regime's side. Bashar al-Assad visited Iran on February 25 and met with Ayatollah Khamenei and Hassan Rouhani. In both meetings, Major General Qassem Soleimani was present, but there was no news of Zarif. That night, Zarif resigned, stating: 'After the photos of today's meetings, Javad Zarif no longer has credibility as Foreign Minister in the world.' Bashar al-Assad has only traveled to that country a few times by Russian military planes during the civil war. His secret trip to Iran likely took place with the accompaniment of Russian fighters, and after returning to Syria, news and photos of it were published. Zarif probably did not even know about the trip itself. To ensure Assad's security, only a few will know about his trip. The Quds Force plays a central role in Iran's regional policies and has completely sidelined the Foreign Ministry, and it is natural that Zarif, after years, would protest this trend. Mohammad Javad Zarif said: 'My resignation is solely to defend the dignity and status of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in foreign relations, which I consider vital alongside other capabilities for Iran's national security... As Foreign Minister, I had a duty to react against the disregard for the status of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the sake of national interests and the country's authority.' Major General Qassem Soleimani said on February 27, 2019, that due to 'some non-intentional and careless' 'inconsistencies' by Zarif in the meeting with Assad, he was not present. He then added that this event would have no effect on the 'brilliant victory of the Islamic Resistance Front.' The IRGC has usurped the Foreign Ministry's position in the Middle East. On the same day, February 25, Hassan Rouhani again emphasized in strong terms that the IRGC and military should exit the economy. He said: 'In our economy, there is a section called 'quasi-public' that leads to the worst economy, as they are neither concerned about work nor is there oversight over them like in the public sector. No one dares to supervise them, especially those who also have other responsibilities, meaning they are either supervisors or judicial agents and have another apparatus at their disposal. The Supreme Leader has emphasized this issue and has the same opinion regarding the armed forces, stating several times that the armed forces should withdraw from the economy and hand it over to the people and focus on their main and heavy duties.' The fate of Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is clear. Now it is Hassan Rouhani's turn, who is even claimed to be a spy for British and Western intelligence, and the IRGC's intelligence organization has intercepted and recorded his conversation with an 'MI6' agent. To understand the action the IRGC is undertaking, let us first look at some statements from IRGC commanders in recent months against Hassan Rouhani and his symbol in foreign policy - Mohammad Javad Zarif: a) Brigadier General Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on December 3, 2018: 'Imam considered the Western-influenced as a threat from the very beginning of the revolution. Today, there is a current in the country that in its activities is influenced by the capitalist system and does not move in accordance with divine traditions, and these individuals have distanced themselves from the system over time. Some have an Islamic appearance, but their main essence is Western culture.' b) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, said on December 20, 2018: 'Some of our officials have heavy ears and do not hear these messages correctly; if these messages and voices are heard correctly, the inclination towards the enemy, America, and the West will diminish; these weaknesses you observe are due to the fact that we do not hear these messages because if we do, spirits will be strong and serious movement will occur.' c) Major General Mohsen Rezaei said on December 26, 2018: 'Independence builds missiles; dependency creates arrows... Backwardness, stagnation, and separation from the ranks of the masses have always been related to the loyalists of the West and Western thoughts over the past 100 years... We are backward in economy and culture; just look at our automotive and banking situation. This backwardness is that we have not been able to expel the supporters of America and capitalist Western thoughts from our economy and culture. Therefore, the major obstacle is not Trump, but the adherents of American thoughts in culture and economy, who prevent our culture and economy from becoming independent. Both American thoughts and the concepts of Western influence and their supporters are considered major obstacles to our progress... There are some in the country who leave work pending and say let us get rid of the Islamic Republic sooner. Is their behavior less effective than sanctions? The supporters of American thoughts from the time of Banisadr until now are making promises for today and tomorrow, and their doubts prevent us from making decisions for ourselves. Where we were not waiting for others, we built tanks and missiles, but wherever we have been hesitant and stalled, we have fallen behind in progress... Corruption exists in the country, but its main source is American thoughts, American lifestyle, and American supporters. There is also inefficiency, but most of it is rooted in these issues; therefore, a movement must be initiated that points the finger at America and its supporters and addresses the problem from the root.' d) Brigadier General Mohammad Kowsari, deputy commander of the Tharallah Headquarters, said on December 26, 2018: 'Today we have reached a point where Trump says he is leaving Syria and Afghanistan, yet some still want to keep their heads in the trough of foreigners.' e) Major General Mohsen Rezaei said on January 13, 2019: 'The people have this question: who will think of us and help us? The first audience for this question is the IRGC and Basij members, whose experiences and honors can be enlightening. History will not accept any excuse for not working in the field of development... Obstacles cannot be a good excuse for not helping the people... Trump wants to bring Iran's oil sales close to zero and create problems for the country in securing employees' rights. In this severe economic war, forces capable of managing in peace cannot do anything. Management in peace and in war is two types. In these conditions, revolutionary forces must act and avoid scattered actions and direct work according to a targeted goal and change the way friends accept projects in a two to five-year strategy. Friends should not wait for government resources... Now the country's administrative and managerial system is stuck, and in the enemy's economic bombardment, it has become chaotic. We cannot sit idly by and surrender. The enemy wants to take revenge on our revolutionary people for these forty years. Revolutionaries must pave the way.' f) Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, said on January 24, 2019: 'After 40 years, we are still facing problems; our currency has depreciated, and our poor and low-income classes are facing many difficulties. The victories of the enemies are not due to their power but rather stem from negligence and weakness and ignoring the recommendations of the Supreme Leader... During the war, none of our commanders said we cannot manage and must bring in managers from abroad! Commanders did not say we will not fight until the arms embargo is lifted! These issues were not raised. Who is our economic martyr today? Who is our economic martyr today?.... Today, we do not lack good managers in the country, but a few who are Western-oriented are hindering the country's progress, and part of this problem is due to officials who do not make the right choices; do we have a shortage of people like martyr Javadi? Are there no people who can act like Qassem Soleimani in the economy? Part of these problems also returns to the people. Some of these managers are the result of people's choices. A manager who gains the people's vote, why does he support America from an official podium in the country?... Some [Hassan Rouhani] say we have kept the shadow of war away with such actions [JCPOA]. But this is not the reality; what kept war away from the country was the capabilities of our armed forces, including the IRGC, Basij, Army, and Law Enforcement, and I say we are more capable than ever in the past 40 years.... A responsible person who sets conditions for high-ranking officials and says something must be done, otherwise such and such will happen, does not have the capacity to do the work and must be removed... Many lawmakers and city council members are not prominent individuals. Rest assured, someone who comes to power with kebabs will sell the nation and the country at the lowest price, and for this reason, elections are of great importance. I am often asked why the Leader does not intervene and remove this person [Hassan Rouhani]. I reply that the Leader has repeatedly stated that he respects the people's vote. We do a weak job ourselves and expect the Leader to remove him! We must be careful to choose the best and they must also choose the best and set aside collusions so that, God willing, we can pass through this historical juncture.' g) Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the IRGC's cultural and social deputy, said in an extensive interview with Fars News Agency on February 19, 2019: 'If today there are problems in society, if we are witnessing inflation today, or if a manager has committed theft, it goes back to us having chosen the officials. In the Tehran City Council elections, there were two lists, one list included 10 prominent economists with the slogan that the main problem is the economy, and in the other list, which had the slogan that the problem of the people is the entry of women into stadiums or the lack of concerts, there was not a single economist, and ultimately this list won. Then we say why economic problems are not solved and why there is no thought for solving economic problems. In the City Council of Tehran, we also had [during Ghalibaf's tenure] a council that was active from morning till night, and every day we witnessed the inauguration of a highway, street, park, etc. in Tehran, but with our vote, we brought a council to power that in a year and a half changed three mayors and is unable to complete projects that were 97% complete.' h) Brigadier General Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on February 19, 2019: 'The existing economic weaknesses in the country stem from the incompetence of officials who have exacerbated it in the past and present... Oversight bodies must fight corruption, but corruption has a counterpart that is the incompetence of managers. In an Islamic system, a person cannot sit at work during office hours and then sit behind their company desk afterward. Such behavior is liberal management and must be eradicated from the culture of the country... The strategy of the Islamic Republic has always been high, and we will break the hegemony of America and arrogance, and this strategic power must also exist in the economic war... 'FATF' in the form of an international NGO is trying to make a country that aligns with America's positions safe and portray countries that are not with America as unsafe in this battlefield.' 'FATF' is a model of the American structure for controlling the world.' i) Major General Mohsen Rezaei said on February 20, 2019: 'In the armed forces and in all defense areas, we have set aside American thinking and begging for technology from the West and have stood on our own feet, but in the area of economy and industry, since the time of Banisadr until now, there are individuals who are making promises for today and tomorrow and do not trust domestic capabilities, and thus the vast resources and young local human resources are not utilized to solve problems and backwardness. In all matters, we must be independent of America.' j) Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, said on February 22, 2019: 'Unfortunately, while it is not common anywhere in the world, individuals enter the elections who do not even accept the main framework of the system. As a result, after a while, individuals come to power who choose inefficient and older managers and keep the country stalled. While many young, motivated, and faithful managers exist in the country who are not utilized, and this causes the greatest damage to the country.' k) Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, in a detailed interview with Fars News Agency on February 19, 2019, said: 'In recent years, the Leader has said that I am not optimistic about the results of negotiations; he said that Americans are untrustworthy and that the economic problems of the people cannot be solved through negotiation, but we, the people, in elections, to whom do we...'