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How To Make Khamenei Change His Mind – By Meir Javedanfar
This week I wrote and published two articles. One in English, and the other in my mother tongue of Farsi.
1. My latest article, on what the West can do to convince Khamenei to change his current nuclear policy.
http://the-diplomat.com/2012/03/23/how-to-make-iran-change-its-mind/
“مقاله اخیرم برای بی بی سی فارسی: “بمب عشق شهروندان اسرائیل برای مردم ایران.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/world/2012/03/120321_na_mj_israel_iran_love_campaign.shtml
Possible Sign of Fraud in Iran Parliamentary Elections
So far it looks like Ahmadinejad’s rivals are doing better than him.
As expected, its unlikely that he or his allies will do well in these elections.
However there are already signs of possible fraud.
It has been reported that Ahmadinejad’s sister Parvin was defeated for the parliament seat for the city of Garmsar, in Iran’s Semnan province.
This seat is considered to be their home seat as the Ahmadinejad family are originally from the village of Aradan, a small village 26 kilometers east of Garmsar.
In Iran, locals are usually fiercely loyal to high ranking representatives from their area, even if their local politician is unpopular at national level.
This is especially true when it comes to poor, regional areas such as the Semnan province. In such remote areas, when it comes to voting, local loyalties are usually one of the most important criterias for voters.
Although Ahmadinejad is not a popular politician, the very fact that his sister was defeated in Garmsar is a valid possible sign of fraud.
Nobody expected these elections to be free or fair. However such actions by the regime show that when it comes to protecting its own interests through questionable activities, it has little regard for subtlety.
Worst still for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is how his fortune has changed. He won by fraud in 2009. Now he could lose the little power that he has by being a victim of fraud.
What Iran’s Parliamentary Elections Mean
The results will give a big clue about Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s intentions.
http://the-diplomat.com/2012/03/02/what-iran%E2%80%99s-election-means/