Thursday, January 24, 2008

Iran's Reform Candidates Barred From Election


Scared of a little bit of change, huh mullahs? Things too shaky to chance a loss of power, huh Ahmadinejad? Iran has disqualified over 2,000 reformers from running in elections - those reformers are the ones adamant about increased democratic changes.
This is bound to increase the tensions among the populace of Iran - the economy of Iran continues to spiral downward and in this move, the Guardian Council has actually disqualified nearly all of the candidates from two reformist parties.
There is an outside chance of appeal by the disqualified candidates but don't hold your breath for their reinstatement.

Here's the full story.



Jan 23, 10:20 PM EST
Iran Reformers Barred From Vote
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- More than 2,000 reformers seeking democratic changes within Iran's hard-line ruling establishment have been disqualified from running in the upcoming parliamentary elections, a top interior ministry official said Wednesday.
The disqualification of reformist candidates removes challenges to hard-liners - including those allied with embattled President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - vying for the parliament seats in the crucial March 14 election.
Parliamentary elections are seen as a key test of Ahmadinejad's hold on power and a harbinger for the 2009 presidential elections. The hard-line president has come under increasing criticism - from both allies and opponents - about his failure to fix Iran's economic problems, which have most recently led to heating gas shortages.
Out of an initial 7,200 prospective candidates registered, some 5,000 remain in the running, said Ali Reza Afshar, a top Interior Ministry official in charge of elections.
Afshar didn't rule out reversing some disqualified candidates, and he said that those disqualified have the right to appeal. The hard-line constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, will announce a final list of approved candidates on March 5.
Council's chief Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, a key Ahmadinejad ally, said last month that any candidate determined by the Council to be disloyal to the principles of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution would be barred from running.

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