Reformists Demand Free and Competitive Elections in Iran

Participants in the reformist conference on Thursday, January 25, organized by the Coordination Council of the Reform Front, issued a statement calling for guarantees for free, lawful, and competitive elections in Iran. The attendees described the recent events in the parliament as 'very ugly, violent, and unjustified.' Several speakers at the conference also called for the lifting of house arrest for Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results, as well as the release of political prisoners. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council, sent a message to the reformist conference urging election organizers to refrain from practices that he claimed 'restrict' the people's right to choose and the lawful transfer of power, and to commit themselves to implementing the law and preserving the people's right to free and competitive choice. He also called for creating suitable conditions to attract maximum public participation through various means, including facilitating the official and extensive activities of political parties and organizations. Some speakers at the reformist conference also called for changes to past practices in examining the qualifications of election candidates, including Rasoul Montajebnia, deputy of the National Trust Party, who referred to the approval of election policies in the Expediency Discernment Council, stating: 'I request that the rule established in the election law and the Guardian Council's supervisory oversight, which was approved during the fourth parliament and presumes guilt unless proven otherwise, be changed.' Nejatollah Ebrahimiann, spokesman for the Guardian Council, stated on December 29 that the presumption of innocence does not apply in the process of examining candidates' qualifications and that the Guardian Council's role is to ascertain qualifications. In recent months, there have been reports of reformists planning to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, which will be held in the last months of 2015. 'People like Ali Motahari are reformists,' said Seyyed Hadi Khamenei, a member of the Coordination Council of the Reform Front, at the conference, adding that 'returning to the law and the principles of the Islamic Revolution and the golden age of the revolution is one of the main goals of reformism, a sentiment expressed by our brother Mir Hossein Mousavi.' According to Khamenei, those who have the courage and bravery to pursue reformist demands, even if they do not bear the label of reformist, are considered reformists. He clarified that 'therefore, it can be said that people like Ali Motahari are reformists, so the circle of reformism is very broad.' Other speakers at the reformist conference, including Mohammad Reza Aref and Rasoul Montajebnia, expressed regret over the prevention of Motahari's speech in the parliament session on January 21. In recent days, some parliament members and conservative media outlets, such as Kayhan newspaper, have launched severe attacks against Motahari. 'Actions have been taken regarding the lifting of house arrest,' said Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the Hope Foundation of Iranians, in response to a question at the conference, mentioning that actions have been taken regarding the lifting of house arrest for Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Zahra Rahnavard, leaders of the protests against the 2009 presidential election results. He expressed hope that these actions would yield results without providing details. Aref added, 'We must interact and cooperate with various sectors of the government and hope that this issue can be resolved in a friendly atmosphere through the Supreme National Security Council.' Fatemeh Rakeei, a member of the sixth parliament, also expressed hope for the lifting of house arrest for Zahra Rahnavard, adding, 'Our second wish is the freedom of all political prisoners, including Dr. Mohsen Mir Damadi and Mostafa Tajzadeh.' Mohammad Khatami, former president of Iran, stated in a message to the reformist conference, 'In the government of hope and prudence, the ground has been prepared for this gathering to bring hearts closer and to facilitate the presence and participation of groups, organizations, and the people in shaping their destiny.' The reformists participating in this conference also emphasized in a statement their rejection of 'restrictive methods' regarding the people's right to choose and the guarantee of conditions for establishing free, lawful, and competitive elections. The statement called for 'opponents' to also be invited and encouraged to participate in the election process. The reformists have asked the government of Hassan Rouhani and the Ministry of Interior to take necessary measures to strengthen public trust and 'negate concerns about the adverse effects of political biases of officials and those involved in the execution of elections.' The statement also emphasized the necessity of respecting and paying more attention to the legitimate rights of women and creating suitable conditions to eliminate 'historical injustices against them' and to enhance their professional, scientific, managerial, and political positions. The reformists participating in this conference also stated, 'We consider the recent events in parliament to be a serious deficiency and a very ugly, violent, and unjustified manifestation.' The national reformist conference was held on Thursday afternoon at the Tawhid Center in Tehran. Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari, a member of the Combatant Clergy Association, described the participants in this conference as 'reformist and moderate' organizations. Since the 2009 presidential election, the activities of the Participation Front Party, the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, and the National Trust Party have been restricted, and officials of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government and conservative media have labeled these parties as 'dissolved.' According to reports, the National Trust Party, led by Mehdi Karroubi, whose office was sealed after the protests against the 2009 presidential election results, has resumed its activities for some time. This party held a conference titled 'Continuation of Trust' in Tehran on the evening of October 21.