The Iranian election(s?)

[jake williams]

Does anyone know what's up? I don't want to wade through the drivel on BBC and I don't expect to find anything useful there.

[Red_or_Dead]

Does anyone know what's up? I don't want to wade through the drivel on BBC and I don't expect to find anything useful there.


Im not familiar with the current elections (whos running, who is the favourite, ect.), but one thing that is certain is that no matter who is elected, things will stay as they are, simply because of the system in place.

[lombas]

In Iran, your candidacy has to be approved by a religious council.

However, this is not to say that only conservatives may stand - there was a regime before Ahmadinedjad.

But, so it appears, the conservatives really did their best to be the only ones standing this time.

[Red_or_Dead]

In Iran, your candidacy has to be approved by a religious council.

However, this is not to say that only conservatives may stand - there was a regime before Ahmadinedjad.

But, so it appears, the conservatives really did their best to be the only ones standing this time.


Yeah, but even if a communist would somehow win the elections, he would still not be the "supreme leader" (head of state), which is not voted by the people, but appointed by a religious council, and has a lot of authority, I believe even more than the elected president.

[Ismail]

The Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) does indeed hold more power than the President in some ways. For example, he leads the army. BBC has a good link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/iran_power/html/default.stm

[Led Zeppelin]

No communist can stand in elections in Iran, not even a social-democrat or liberal.

They are arrested and jailed, and in some cases executed.

[Faux Real]

Ahmadinejad gained lots of support and was voted in on an anti-poverty platform back in '05, suffice to say he didn't deliver much. I'd imagine it to be large enough an issue for a president to have to campaign on it, but the leftist sentiment will eventually grow out of the failures of the elected officials and elite clergy.