THE Islamic Republic of Iran, as its name suggests, has been a curious amalgam of people-power and theocracy from the start. For most of its 37 years clerics have firmly dominated. But as its revolutionaries age and a new generation of leaders courts a warm relationship with the West, the theologians seem to be growing fearful about where the country’s elected politicians are leading it. In the run-up to parliamentary elections, scheduled for February 26th, they have clamped down more harshly than ever on candidates.
Were the vote a straight test of Hassan Rohani’s popularity, his allies would surely win. The moderate president secured a deal with world powers last month that set aside the long crisis over his country’s nuclear programme. Crushing economic sanctions have been lifted. Iran has gained access to tens of billions of dollars of assets previously frozen overseas. Oil exports have resumed and a $27 billion contract with Airbus for 118 planes, signed when Mr Rohani visited the French president, François Hollande, at the Élysée Palace, has provided a glimpse of the potential riches on offer to a nation long isolated. Yet voters, and their representatives, also have to contend with the ruling clergy.
The Council of Guardians, a constitutional watchdog of backers of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, that vets contenders for their...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/1PIhtq4
EmoticonEmoticon