Thu, May 23 05:45 AM EDT
By Marcus George and Yeganeh Torbati
DUBAI (Reuters) - Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran's leadership of incompetence and ignorance just days after he was barred from standing in an election next month, the opposition Kaleme website reported on Thursday.
Rafsanjani's comments appeared to add to the political conflict between those loyal to the leadership and opposition groups who have been marginalized since post-election unrest in 2009.
"I don't think the country could have been run worse, even if it had been planned in advance," Rafsanjani said to members of his campaign team on Wednesday, according to the Kaleme report. "I don't want to stoop to their propaganda and attacks but ignorance is troubling. Don't they understand what they're doing?"Before he was disqualified from next month's presidential election, the 78-year-old Rafsanjani caused high interest in a ballot many believe was a race between hardliners. He attracted the endorsement of reformist groups whose leaders had disputed the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Rafsanjani did not indicate specifically who he was addressing but after the unrest following Ahmadinejad re-election in 2009, he criticized the authorities heavy-handed response and has since been regarded as a threat to the establishment.
The two-term president warned of "dangerous" threats from the United States and Israel, which have threatened to use military action against what they suspect is Iran's development of nuclear weapons. He said he had not realized his candidacy would create a wave in the country but that it was a sign of people's despair. Now was the time to stay calm, he said. "In no instance should people despair. There will be a day when those who must come, will come," he said, an apparent reference to advocates for political and social reforms who have been sidelined.With Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad's close ally, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, now out of the picture, the election field is again dominated by hardliners loyal to Iran's clerical leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rafsanjani's ally Hassan Rohani, a former nuclear negotiator, and reformist Mohammad Aref, remain in the contest.
Rafsanjani said the experiences of rebuilding the country after the Iran-Iraq war was one that was needed now. He was elected president in 1989, a year after the war ended, and his administration came to be called the "government of reconstruction", an era when economic rebuilding and reform put Iran back on its feet. "The foreigners called me "easy man" because it took no time before the doors opened. Now that experience could be easily used again, except back then, people were sympathetic." According to the report, Rafsanjani - regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Islamic Republic - said he should not have run. "There was a flood of letters and telephone calls from Najaf, Qom and Mashhad, all major clerics for my candidacy. How could I be so obstinate and say no to them, especially to the youth?"Analysts say he was disqualified from the election because he campaign had already become hugely popular and he was regarded as a threat to the leadership. (Editing by Angus MacSwan) ======================================== Iran's Khamenei says has no favourite to succeed Ahmadinejad Wed, May 29 07:46 AM EDT * Ayatollah is supposed to be above political fray * Says has no favourite, but candidates already been vetted * Ahaminejad's successor to be elected next month By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI, May 29 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday he does not favour any candidate for June's presidential election, although hardliners with outlooks similar to his dominate the field. The field of candidates was narrowed considerably last week when the Guardian Council, a body of clerics and jurists that vets all candidates, disqualified two independent contenders - former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, a close aide of current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Reformists, who ran at the last election four years ago, have been largely excluded this time, with the leaders of the "Green movement", that protested against what they said was a rigged result, under unofficial house arrest for more than the last two years. Analysts say Khamenei is intent on seeing a loyal and docile candidate enter office after the unrest that followed the 2009 election. Though he initially had Khamenei's backing, Ahmadinejad challenged the supreme leader throughout his second term and has lost favour with the conservative establishment. Khamenei said on Wednesday that any notion that he had a favourite to win this time was wrong. "These things have always been said and it's not true, because no one knows who the leader will vote for," Khamenei said in a speech to parliamentarians, according to his website. "Just like everyone else, the leader only has one vote." Although supposedly above the fray of everyday politics, Khamenei endorsed Ahmadinejad's disputed victory in 2009. The months of protests that followed were eventually crushed by security forces. Iran's leaders have always denied vote rigging and said the unrest had been fomented by the country's foreign enemies that want to see an end to the Islamic Republic system of government. FRONTRUNNER Khamenei directly appoints six of the Guardian Council's 12 members, and analysts say he has a direct influence in who gets to run. The final list of eight candidates approved by the council includes Saeed Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator who once worked in Khamenei's office; Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, a close aide and relative of Khamenei; and Ali Akbar Velayati, a foreign policy advisor to the supreme leader. Jalili, who has overseen a hardening in Iran's position in nuclear talks with world powers, has emerged as a frontrunner, with the backing of the conservative establishment. He gained the endorsement on Tuesday of senior cleric and ultraconservative Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, who served as a religious mentor to Ahmadinejad but has since turned against the president, who fell out of favour with the clerical elite during his second four-year term. Mesbah-Yazdi's followers have great sway among Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards and the Basij volunteer paramilitary force. In his speech on Wednesday, Khamenei thanked those who had been rejected by the Guardian Council and had chosen to "obey the law". That could be read as a veiled criticism of Ahmadinejad who said he hoped the bar on his aide Mashaie running for president would be overturned before the election. (Editing by Marcus George and Robin Pomeroy) ============= U.S. casts doubt on credibility of Iran election Fri, May 24 13:18 PM EDT By Arshad Mohammed TEL AVIV (Reuters) - The United States on Friday called into question the credibility of Iran's presidential election next month, criticizing the disqualification of candidates and accusing Tehran of disrupting Internet access. On a visit to Israel, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also warned that time was running out to resolve the deadlock over Iran's contested nuclear program. Iran's Guardian Council, the state body that vets all candidates, has barred a number of hopefuls from the roster in the June 14 ballot, including former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is seen as sympathetic to reform. "The Council narrowed a list of almost seven hundred potential candidates down to...officials of their choice, based solely on who represents the regime's interests," Kerry said shortly before flying out of Israel. "That is hardly an election by standards which most people in most countries judge free, fair, open, accessible, accountable elections." Most of the remaining eight men left on the Iranian ballot are seen as loyalists to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Kerry, whose country's decades-old rift with Iran has widened over the latter's nuclear ambitions, said Washington saw "troubling signs" that the Iranian government was slowing down or cutting off Internet access to its citizens. "Ultimately the Iranian people (will) be prevented not only from choosing someone who might have reflected their point of view, but also taking part in a way that is essential to any kind of legitimate democracy," he said. Israel and most Western powers, including the United States, believe Iran is seeking to obtain nuclear weapons - something Tehran has denied. Israel, which is assumed to have its own nuclear arsenal, has warned it might attack Iran if it does not halt its atomic work, but Kerry said he hoped a diplomatic solution could still be found. "Our hope is, for the sake of the region, the world, the Iranian people, ourselves, that we can have a peaceful resolution, but it is going to have to be demonstrated much more affirmatively than it has been to date that Iran is interested in that kind of a solution," he said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said this week in a report that Iran was trying to accelerate its uranium enrichment program. "The clock is clearly ticking," Kerry added. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Crispian Balmer) (This story is refiled to fix typo in headline) =========================== Iran's rulers risk alienating voters by candidate bans Wed, May 22 08:51 AM EDT By Yeganeh Torbati and Marcus George DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's clerical rulers may have sought to remove any challenge to their grip by barring two vivid contenders from next month's presidential election, but they risk alienating voters already disillusioned by the violent aftermath of the 2009 poll. The June 14 vote will have little bearing on the policies that have long put Iran at odds with the West - ranging from its nuclear program to its support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah guerrillas. These will remain firmly under the control of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has refused to curb sensitive atomic work despite crippling Western sanctions and Israeli and U.S. threats of military action. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. Yet Iran's rulers have always seen a high election turnout, as underpinning their legitimacy - hence the danger of voiding them of any credibility in the eyes of voters by using the many institutional levers available to limit free democratic choice. The Guardian Council, a vetting body, disqualified ex-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, despite his hefty political role in the past three decades, as well as Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's former chief of staff, leaving a field dominated by hardliners loyal to Khamenei. Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday he would ask Khamenei to reverse the ban on Mashaie. Rafsanjani, a pillar of the 1979 Islamic Revolution who has held a series of powerful positions in the past, will not appeal, his campaign chief said. Barring surprises, their elimination sets the stage for a Khamenei loyalist from the "principlist" camp to win - and will disappoint many Iranians, notably those from urban and middle-class backgrounds, who had hoped for a more open contest. "I feel indifferent," said a 33-year-old dissident journalist in Tehran who gave his name only as Hamed. "Most people feel the same as long as they don't have a say in the political arena, as long as the authorities are running the election and can rig the votes at will and as long as the ruling system can filter candidates at their own discretion." STAYING AT HOME A 27-year-old translator named Firouzeh said she had been undecided about whether to vote. "Thanks to the Guardian Council for disqualifying Hashemi (Rafsanjani). Now I can stay home on election day without any doubts," she said sarcastically. Khamenei is seen as wanting a more docile president than the turbulent populist Ahmadinejad, who had often challenged his authority, even though he had endorsed his divisive re-election. In theory the supreme leader could reinstate the two high-profile challengers in the race, but this seems unlikely. "Khamenei surely signaled to the Guardian Council ... that he did not want Rafsanjani or Mashaie to run," said Cliff Kupchan of Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy. "The leader wants a pliant president and a calm election." Ahmadinejad's 2009 triumph in a vote his opponents said was rigged led to the worst popular unrest in the Islamic Republic's history, severely damaging the ruling system's credentials. Rafsanjani earned hardliners' wrath at the time for criticizing authorities' treatment of protesters. His last-minute entry into the presidential race had already captured the interest of Iranian voters - something which may have prompted the decision to nip his candidacy in the bud. "I was really surprised by the ferment and the (pro-Rafsanjani) wave of joy that broke out in the country, and in my opinion this wave upset the principlists," Tehran University professor Sadeq Zibakalam told Asr-e Iran daily on Tuesday. Eshaq Jahangiri, head of Rafsanjani's campaign, was quoted in ISNA news agency on Wednesday as saying the veteran politician would not object to the Guardian Council's decision. Rafsanjani was a close associate of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, whose daughter has voiced dismay at the ban on her late father's one-time aide. "This act has no meaning other than creating a separation between two companions of the Imam (Khomeini) and a disregarding of the enthusiasm and interest of the people towards the system and the elections," Zahra Mostafavi wrote in a letter on the Jamaran news site, thought to be linked to Khomeini's family. "The gradual separation between the two of you (Khamenei and Rafsanjani) will be the biggest blow to the revolution and the system," she wrote. "The Imam always said: 'These two are good when they are together'." AHMADINEJAD'S OPTIONS Ahmadinejad, who cannot run for a third consecutive term himself, said he would challenge the ban on Mashaie, calling him a "righteous person and beneficial for the country", ISNA said. Ahmadinejad has in the past threatened to reveal evidence of corruption by his rivals, though analysts said any such challenge to the ruling establishment would carry grave risks. "The institutional leverage available to the supreme leader and his allies will outweigh any evidence or anything that Ahmadinejad and his team have up their sleeve," said Yasmin Alem, a U.S.-based expert on Iran's electoral system. Hardliners loathe Mashaie, seeing him as figurehead of a "deviant" nationalist current bent on undermining clerical rule. Nevertheless, Ahmadinejad, an ambitious, fiery figure, seems reluctant to see his own political power eclipsed. The former Revolutionary Guard commander is thought to remain popular with many poorer Iranians, especially in the provinces, who have benefited from his cash handouts and local development projects. Two prominent reformists, former nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani and Mohammad Reza Aref, a former vice-president under ex-President Mohammad Khatami, remain in the race but they lack the charisma and organization to make much impact, according to Ali Ansari, an Iran analyst at St Andrew's University in Scotland. He said Saeed Jalili, Iran's current nuclear negotiator, was emerging as the frontrunner among Khamenei loyalists who also include Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati. "Basically Jalili is the man to beat, this is how the script is intended to go now," Ansari said. "A nice, tidy election unless Ahmadinejad chooses to do something disruptive." The defeated opposition candidates in the 2009 election, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, are under house arrest and their "Green Movement" has been cowed and suppressed. France said their fate showed that Iran's elections would be held in a "climate of growing repression" and criticized the bans imposed by the Guardian Council on would-be candidates. This "shows the extent the Iranian system is bolted", said Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot. "The eligibility criteria undeniably lacks transparency." ================== Pressure Mounts for Iran’s Moderate Candidates to Unite Posted on June 6, 2013 by Arash Karami With eight days left before the June 14 election and the unpredictable nature of Iranian presidential politics, Reformists and moderates have been exerting pressure on Mohammad Reza Aref and Hassan Rouhani to unite. Some fear that if Aref and Rouhani fail to unite, their votes there could be a repeat of 2005 election that brought the hard-line Ahmadinejad to power. Motahhareh Shaffei wrote in Arman newspaper that “It wasn’t that long ago in the 2005 election when the Reformists felt they didn’t need the support of Rafsanjani,” adding, “However, today the Reformists have felt that the country needs other elements … and despite their own political views, have decided to support a moderate candidate.” Well-known Reformists have essentially been sidelined from the political scene in Iran and some believe that supporting a so-called moderate candidate is the best path for them to achieve some of their goals. Shaffi wrote that of the potential candidates Reformists could support, “One is Hassan Rouhani and the other is Mohammad Reza Aref. Both are moderates and have taken the middle path, and no extreme action has been seen from either one of them.” On Monday, while campaigning in Iran’s Gazvin province, Aref, who was Khatami’s first vice president in Khatami’s second term and the minister of technology under Khatami’s first term, said of the possibility of building a coalition, he would “listen to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami’s final opinion on the matter.” However, that same day, he told Mehr News in response to the possibility of a coalition that “A lot of news is published on this matter but I have no intention of doing this, and I will remain until the end of the election race.” On Tuesday, Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, a member of Aref’s campaign staff, denied rumors that Aref would step aside in favor of Rouhani. Aref, who upon registering for the presidency said that he would pull out if Rafsanjani or Khatami decided to run, also complained about the last-minute nature of Iranian presidential politics. “Nowhere in the world do you see with one day left to register for the election, that there would be such big changes” Aref said. Aref continued, “Everywhere in the world, political parties introduce themselves, their policies and their staff one year before the elections. … Rafsanjani’s registration put all of my campaigning to rest and after 11 days [when the Guardian Council disqualified him], we began our campaigning again. Under these conditions, how can one expect us to talk about our activities and our cabinet?” Rafsanjani, Ahmadinejad ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Saeed Jalili all registered on May 12 for the presidential election, the final day of the one-week window, which is approximately one month before the June 14 election. On Sunday, Mohammad Ali Najafi said that that the coalition of Reformist groups had created a seven-member panel that would “negotiate with some of the leaders of the country and the two candidates under consideration (Aref and Rouhani) toward a coalition, and based on polling across the country, to create the necessary environment and mechanisms for a consensuses and coalition.” Najafi, who introduced himself as the spokesman for this panel, said, “When we reach a final decision, we will announce our single candidate on Saturday.” Neither Rafsanjani nor Khatami have endorsed a candidate in this election yet. It is not certain that they will. However, Khatami’s website did issue a statement from a council of Khatami’s advisers on Sunday that encouraged Rouhani and Aref to reach a coalition. ==============
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