40 Years of Political Disorder in Iran

The Iranian government has a lot of interest to show that there is a consensus and alliance in the political body of the government, but the reality is something else. The reality is that the clerical governing system is facing a 40 year long political disorder, because since Ruhollah Khomeini founded the regime after the 1979 revolution, one of his missions was the elimination of all political institutions and parties.

In practice, after 1981 the only one so-called party in Iran has been the Hezbollah with its Hezbollahies who are now famous as the principlists and the reformists, with its many subsets which the regime described as parties.

Principlists

And here we have the so-called reformists nearly all of which are derived from the Hezbollah party of the first years after the revolution.

Reformists

These two branches have many other subsets, and of course there are many other opposition group and parties which go beyond the scope of this text.

Now near the presidential election we are witnessing how chaff these so-called parties in Iran are. Forty-five well-known figures have been nominated. When listening to their speeches, in most cases there are some very striking features which stand out from the speeches of most of these candidates.

1. It is possible to identify many candidates, each of whom is the main figure in one of the two main political factions of the country, with, for example, six or seven principlists and six or seven reformists, and all the others are excluded like the past 40 years.
2. Some have said that I did not want to be a candidate until yesterday or last week, but now I feel that I must be.
3. Some belonging to the same political faction have drawn their swords from the first days on each other.
4. Almost everyone agrees that the situation is very bad, and they have come to save Iran.
5. The vast majority have said that when they saw that there is no capable man who could become president and save the country, they entered the field of the election.
6. The majority and some of the main figures have said that they have entered independently and do not represent any party or group.

But what do these phrases mean?

1. All this division and lack of consensus, even that there should be two or three specific candidates from each faction in the field, shows that there is no effective consensus-building political order. Candidates from a faction that has not been able to reach a consensus outside of power are unlikely to be able to build consensus in power, where the interests become more apparent?
2. The expression, ‘I did not intend to enter until yesterday or last week, now I have decided to enter immediately’ is a sign of the insecurity, unpredictability and instability that prevails in Iran regime’s political body, which is a result of the insecurity and instability that has plagued the economy, culture, and society for decades.
3. The most complex and empowering human invention which is moving humanity forward is organization. Science with universities organization; industry with factories organization; sports with the organization of the clubs; education with the schools’ organization; and war with the army organization.

But the Iranian people are not benefiting from such an invention in the political field. Therefore no one in Iran can predict the political process.

What we are witnessing today is that politics is unorganized and unpredictable, and the people’s interpretation is right that in Iran mafia gangs are ruling the country under the control of the supreme leader as the ultimate decisionmaker.

4. Oddly enough, everyone who enters this election show claims to be the savior of the nation. But the truth is that after 40 years of destruction in which all of them are involved, there is nothing left for them to save.
5. And finally, all the members and officials of this regime know very well that the people do not trust any of them as well as the factions, so they are forced to say that ‘I came independently and do not belong to any faction or party.’