Khamenei’s recent overtures to women, urging their involvement in the electoral process, starkly contrast with the regime’s long-standing repression of women’s rights. In a December 27 address, Khamenei ironically called upon women to influence their families to participate in the elections, a move seen as both a sign of desperation and a tone-deaf approach to gender issues.
Adding to the regime’s woes, Ali Ehtesham Kashani, a prominent cleric, expressed concerns over waning interest in the elections, even among the regime’s traditional support bases. On December 30, Kashani lamented the potential decline in voter turnout and warned of the consequences, highlighting a rift within the regime’s own clerical circles.
The regime’s credibility crisis is further evidenced by critical voices from within. Massoud Pezeshkian, an Iranian MP, criticized the regime’s intolerance for dissent, as reported by Hamdeli newspaper on December 30. Pezeshkian’s remarks underscored the regime’s practice of silencing criticism and promoting a false narrative of unanimity.
Watch and judge why this insider is warning that the regime is destined for a collapse or #IranRevolution pic.twitter.com/Ysu6LbOhnz
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 1, 2024
The state-run Arman newspaper, on December 31, echoed these sentiments, arguing that the real issue is not about the Guardian Council’s flexibility in allowing independent candidates, but rather about the eroded trust among the educated and youth in the electoral process. This loss of faith is not just a matter of candidate selection but reflects a deeper disillusionment with the regime’s authoritarian practices.
Further highlighting the regime’s internal conflicts, cleric Hadi Ghabel, a member of the Participation Front’s central council, lamented the divisive policies since the revolution’s inception. As reported by Didar news website on December 29, Ghabel criticized the regime’s successive purges and the resulting societal fragmentation, foreshadowing a potential intra-regime conflict in the upcoming elections.
Amidst these tensions, politician Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani issued a stark warning: the risk of the public turning to chaos and unrest if the regime fails to address these issues. Rafsanjani’s cautionary words point to a deep-seated fear within the regime of a potential uprising against its tyrannical rule.
These unfolding events reveal the inherent contradictions of a regime that, while clinging to oppressive and archaic methods, attempts to don the facade of a modern democracy. Each election cycle, rather than reinforcing the regime’s legitimacy, serves as a catalyst for deeper crises and sparks more intense societal uprisings, further eroding the regime’s already fragile standing.
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