Khatami: Greater Participation in Elections Brings Results Closer to People's Aspirations

Mohammad Khatami, former President of Iran, in a video message once again invited the public to participate in the upcoming elections, referring to the 2013 presidential election as the 'first step' and the parliamentary election as the 'second step.' In this message published on Sunday, February 21, on his website, Khatami suggested that the lists of reformists and other supporters of President Hassan Rouhani in the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections be published under the name 'List of Hope.' He emphasized that if the election officials allowed 'worthy figures' to participate with 'tolerance,' 'this election would undoubtedly be more enthusiastic and effective.' The former president also stated that despite widespread disqualifications, 'there are still many worthy figures who can help the nation and solve its problems.' According to Khatami, the more people participate in the elections, 'the results will be closer to the people's wishes, the country's interests, and the people's ideals.' He reiterated his suggestion for the 'List of Hope' and urged people to vote for 'all' individuals on both lists. Khatami described the 2013 presidential election as the 'first step' and the parliamentary election as the 'second step,' stressing that 'an independent parliament' that is 'aligned with the president and his main slogans' would be 'very beneficial' for the people. Hours after Khatami's message was published on the video-sharing website 'Aparat,' the page became inaccessible, and it was announced that the page was taken down 'by order of the working group for determining the instances of criminal content on the internet.' Iranian judiciary officials have announced since winter 2014 that the publication of images and news about Khatami is prohibited. On February 13, Khatami also urged the public on his personal website to go to the polls to 'send more deserving individuals to both parliaments' and 'to the extent possible, prevent the entry of those who are far from the ideals and demands of the majority.' Khatami's position on participating in the elections comes at a time when Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has also repeatedly urged the public to 'be aware that their presence at the polls is very, very important' and 'no one should boycott the elections for any reason.' Khatami had previously encouraged people to participate in the elections and vote for Hassan Rouhani during the final days of the 2013 presidential election campaign. In this context, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council, spoke on Sunday about the 'wave of hope' that he said was created during the 2013 elections, stating, 'We had planned that this wave would not be lost, and certainly, to remain hopeful, certain actions were needed, including the withdrawal of Dr. Aref and the support of myself and Mr. Khatami for Dr. Rouhani.' He also mentioned that the methods used in the 2013 presidential election should be utilized to hold 'a lively election and the victory of those—albeit less well-known—whose thoughts are close to the majority's thoughts.' Meanwhile, on Sunday, several political prisoners from Ward 8 of Evin Prison issued a statement supporting the reformist coalition, urging the public to participate in the elections 'despite the obstacles and restrictions imposed; to strengthen the foundations of the Republic and the Islamic nature of the system.' According to the Kaleme website, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, this statement was signed by Sarajeddin Mirdamadi, a journalist; Alireza Hashemi, Secretary-General of the Iranian Teachers' Organization; Hadi Heydari, a cartoonist; Hossein Rafiei, a national-religious activist; and Ali Shariati, a civil activist. Hussein Nourani Nejad, a member of the reformists' advisory council, also signed this statement after being released from prison on Sunday. In the 2013 presidential election, several political prisoners supported Hassan Rouhani. The Freedom Movement of Iran also called on the public on Sunday to participate in the elections despite 'widespread illegal disqualifications' and to vote for the list supported by the reformists. Ibrahim Yazdi, Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran, had previously supported Rouhani's statements regarding the disqualification of candidates for the parliamentary elections, stating that 'the only way for Dr. Rouhani to confront the illegal policies of the Guardian Council is to refrain from holding elections.' Mustafa Moein, a candidate from the Participation Front in the 2005 presidential election, also called on the public to vote for the complete list of the reformist coalition while protesting the widespread disqualifications of candidates. Moein had been disqualified in the parliamentary elections from the Shiraz constituency. Additionally, Mustafa Tajzadeh, a jailed member of the Participation Front, stated in a letter to Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the reformists' policy-making council, that he would vote for the complete list of this movement for 27 reasons. The former Deputy Minister of Interior in Khatami's government emphasized in this letter that among the reasons is to 'prevent the Stability Front from taking over the parliament' and that 'the engineering election headquarters should understand that the cost of political corruption and illegal disqualifications of rival candidates is much greater than the benefit.' Tajzadeh had previously advised the Supreme Leader in two letters to 'rectify past mistakes' and 'make the elections competitive.'