The U.S. Expresses Concern Over Iran's Parliamentary Elections - 2004-02-19

The United States has expressed concern that the parliamentary elections in Iran may not reflect the will and desires of the Iranian people. Richard Boucher, spokesman for the U.S. State Department, stated that U.S. officials are worried that the elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly, scheduled for Friday, are not arranged in a way that allows the Iranian people to express their opinions. Many reformist politicians in Iran argue that the elections for the 290 seats in the Islamic Consultative Assembly are neither free nor fair, as a large number of reformist candidates have been disqualified by the non-elected Guardian Council, which is dominated by hardliners. On Wednesday, as the election campaigning in Iran came to a halt, two newspapers were seized by the judiciary for publishing a letter that criticized Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. In this letter, signed by reformist representatives of the current parliament, the question was raised: 'Were the disqualifications carried out with the permission and approval of Ayatollah Khamenei?' Meanwhile, several reformist groups, including the major organization of the Islamic Participation Front, have boycotted the parliamentary elections.