Authors:
Luis Alberto López Rafaschieri and José Alberto López Rafaschieri
www.morochos.net
Although article 6 of the Iranian Constitution states that in the Islamic Republic of Iran the election of the president and representatives of the legislature must be decided by popular vote, and although President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently said that Iranian democracy is an example for the world, big street protests in Iran, caused by the demonstration against the vote counting during the presidential elections on June 12, 2009, show what many have long known: In Iran, people sovereignty is not respected because an elite has special powers over politics.
This time doubts about the counting process are so overwhelming that, in addition to the organizations that traditionally make pronouncements on human rights violations, the main European leaders asked Iranian authorities to open an inquiry into allegations of electoral fraud, and to show restraint against protesters.
That is, the world is realizing that in Iran apart from existing a strong censorship against freedom of speech, women's oppression, persecution of dissent and other human rights violations, the people's opportunity to choose their own government in free and fair elections is denied.
So Iran should enter into a process of democratic reforms, to resolve the lack of real citizens' rights and reconsider the constitutional figure of the "Leader", which is a position with greater powers than the president but that is elected through a council of "Experts." This council of "Experts", for its part, is elected by direct vote from a selected list controlled by the regime, therefore someone who is not appropriate for the oligarchy will never be eligible for the position of "Leader”.
About this plenipotentiary figure -"Leader"- described in the Iranian Constitution, citizens should consider how can it be qualify as democratic a nation where the highest authority of the state: 1) is not elected directly by citizens, 2) is above the President and 3) has constitutional powers to guide national policies, command the armed forces, police, judiciary and the official media.
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