...

Before Elections, Iranian Reformists Call on People to Actively Protect Their Rights: Experts

Politics Materials 2 February 2008 13:11 (UTC +04:00)
Before Elections, Iranian Reformists Call on People to Actively Protect Their Rights: Experts

Azerbaijan, Baku, 2 February /corr. Trend D.Khatinoglu / Although necessary conditions have not been created for those who want to participate in the parliamentary elections as candidates and there are not conditions for holding free and democratic elections, the reformist activists call on the people to actively protect their rights. "Iranian people should not take a passive position in re-establishing democracy in Iran," the activist of Etemad-Melli Party, Ayatollah Abolfazl Shokuri, reported to Trend.

On 31 January some 350 political activists of Iran made an appeal to the Country's community. The appeal calls upon the people to actively participate in the parliamentary elections in March and actively support the formation of a 'national and strong government'. According to the information by BBC, the appeal says that the Government which could not gain support of people should make concessions to the neutral countries.

IRNA reported that the candidatures of only 69% of those who are willing to become an MP were confirmed.

"Despite that large part of those who are willing to join Parliament has not been registered and wrong conditions exist, we will not boycott the coming parliamentary elections," the member of Board of Etemad-Melli Party reported to Trend by telephone from Tehran on 1 February.

According to Shokuri, despite that several of the Party's representatives were not registered, if at least one candidate of the Party participates in the parliamentary elections, boycott will not be made. "Candidatures of several of our representatives were not registered. We opposed it and hope that our complaint will be considered. Yet we have not lost our hope, and even if the wrong and non-democratic situation will be continuing, we will not boycott the elections," Shokuri said.

Other politician who joined the appeal to people, Isa Saharkhez, reported to Trend by telephone from Tehran that the refusal to register most of candidates created neglect amongst population towards the coming elections. "If the elections are held in such conditions, I do not exclude that large part of population and parties will not participate in the elections," he said, adding that firstly the people should liquidate the factors of dictatorship and send their candidates to the Parliament.

In addition, the appeal says that the people do not rely on and support the Government. The appeal begins with words 'currently foreign policy of State violates rights of people'. The political activists stated that as official Tehran can not gain support of people, it should make concessions to the neutral countries.

Chairman of Association of Iranian Researchers, Hossein Lajeverdi, reported to Trend by telephone from Paris that Iran has weakened as a result of pressures of the USA and its unsuccessful policy and the neighboring countries, misusing it, force Iran to make concessions.

The Foreign Minister of Iran, Manuchehr Mottaki, said in December 2007 that Iran's using Caspian Sea historically has not exceeded 11.3%. This statement led to large resonance.

Lajeverdi does not exclude that Iran will make concessions not only with regards to Caspian's legal status, but also three disputable islands with Bahrain, determination of the borders between Iran and Iraq and other discussions, and it contracts with the interests of people.

Latest

Latest