Turnout in Iran’s election
How low can you go?
While it appeared that Saeed Jalili, a former Revolutionary Guard general close to Khamenei, was set to win, the historically low voter turnout effectively transformed the electoral process into a referendum, expressing the Iranian populace’s overwhelming rejection of the regime and their desire for a transition to a democratic and secular government.
That was bad news for the mullahs, so they didn’t say anything.
But hundreds of the resistance units across Iran monitored more than 14,000 polling stations until midnight, revealing that a staggering 88% of eligible voters abstained. This act of mass boycott is particularly significant given that voting is compulsory for certain demographics, including soldiers and prisoners. As a result, in many areas under the regime’s control, nullified ballots frequently topped the polls.
The Iranians hate their hateful government. So far they haven’t been able to do much about that except to abstain from voting, and to participate in demonstrations.
Coming to a Country near you?
I guess selecting who will be the next authoritarian tyrant to lord over you doesn’t hold much appeal. At any rate, the “Supreme Leader” Ali Khamenei is the real ultimate power regardless of who holds the office of the president. Why are these guys so comically absurd with their titles? Or perhaps “Supreme Leader” doesn’t come off as so silly in Farsi?
Or perhaps “Supreme Leader” doesn’t come off as so silly in Farsi?
Or perhaps fundamental Islam is a religion of extreme subjugation? Sorry, I couldn’t resist. That would also probably mean that most Iranian citizens are not fundamentalists.
Jalili has not had extensive religious education. Either Khameini has someone else in mind to succeed to his position or they’d have to modify the qualification for the position – in effect make it something other than what it was intended to be or has been. (Khameini’s own accession in 1989 required a rather abrupt promotion from ” hojjat-o l-Eslam” to “ayatollah”).
Or perhaps “Supreme Leader” doesn’t come off as so silly in Farsi?
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The title in Farsi is “velayat-e faqih”. I was told by an Iranian expat in 1980 that the term ‘faqih’ approximates that of the English word ‘guardian’.
Imagine Pres. Kennedy in 1963 was tangling with someone who had been a minister in Lenin’s cabinet in 1920 and had been born two years prior to Stalin and Trotsky. The constancy of the regime may be a function of it being frozen in amber at its apex and center.
Obama helped the Iran tyranny when the people tried to revolt. Biden seems to stumbling along the same path.
Rule by clerics is the exact farsi translation
That was one of the worst things Obama did, refusing to speak up on behalf of the anti-regime demonstrators in 2009. That was a perfect case where the POTUS could have really moved the needle in foreign affairs without spending billions of dollars or putting American troops in harm’s way just by using his bully pulpit. And I suspect it wasn’t just timidity but that he actually looks favorably on this odious, malevolent regime.
A regime whose downfall would benefit the entire world. They are really the head of the snake for everything that is happening in Israel, not just Hamas but Hezbollah as well. Instead Democrats are trying to prop it up. That alone is an enormous reason to vote for Trump regardless of anything else.
What FOAF said, 3:22 p.m.
According to Wikipedia, the Farsi title translates to “guardian of the righteous (i.e., Shi’ite) jurists.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardianship_of_the_Islamic_Jurist
Not necessarily a great metaphor: A dam, storing immense energy, is a catastrophe awaiting a small opportunity, a crack or just a tad of water over spec.
The non-voters didn’t hold back because they’re bored.
Mike K and FOAF, you beat me to it.
It’s almost impossible to rise up against a government that has a sufficiently large and ruthless secret police.
It’s almost impossible to rise up against a government that has a sufficiently large and ruthless secret police.
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I’ll let Erich Honecker know.
FOAF:
It is my belief Obama is a closet Muslim. Islam says, once a Muslim, always a Muslim. And Obama when young attended a madrassa in Indonesia where worship of Allah was mandatory.
Jalili is a dutiful member of the apparat, he was one of the negotiators of the Iran deal after Mousavian, he was runner up to Raisi back in 2021
It’s hard to organize an underground when a substantial portion of the putative members are feds–see Whitmer kidnap thingy–but a preference cascade in the internet world might need less personal involvement subject to discovery.
Evidence indicates Obama is not a Muslim, or a Christian either, by belief and practice. I do think he retains fond memories of the moderate Islam of his Indonesian childhood.
You know, I can imagine Obama as a Muslim, but I wonder about Michelle in a burka? Would she?
}}} The Iranians hate their hateful government. So far they haven’t been able to do much about that except to abstain from voting, and to participate in demonstrations.
Thank you, President Obama.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Iranian_presidential_election_protests
}}} fundamental Islam
One of the main issues with fundamentalism — in any religion, truly —
is that the end result is getting your priorities up your fundament. 😛
Hey, maybe if “Biden” injects another several tens of billions of dollars into the Iranian “economy”, the Mullets will be even more popular…
Hundreds of billions?
(Ya never know till ya try…)
Yep, Barry Meislin @ 3:22 AM is correct !!!
Joke Bidet needs to give a few more billion $$$$ to Iran and that for sure will allow the citizens of Iran to select a govt. they actually desire.
Appeasement of dictators has always been shown to be effective; I think it’s called the Neville Chamberlain strategy which produced “peace in our time.”
There is only one Islam. When you understand this you go up a Level! Obama brought 70000 Muslims to Michigan to form a nest to demographically take over the USA. He is a Muslim.
I do think he retains fond memories of the moderate Islam of his Indonesian childhood.
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There was at one time on Youtube a video of him on a visit to Indonesia attempting to offer 40 seconds’ worth of remarks in the Malay trader’s dialect they use as a lingua franca over there. Jimmy Carter’s Spanish was much better than that.
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I don’t think the place made much of an impression on him. His sister had a longer residence there and has a set of siblings there she does not share with BO. Keep in mind, though, his sister has made her life in Honolulu and married an ethnic Chinese who grew up in Canada.
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Note that Obama came of age around the time of the Iranian hostage crisis. Stanley Kurtz has made the case that Obama’s actual political home is the segment of the portside which sides reflexively with the country’s enemies. Look at back issues of The Village Voice, The Nation, Mother Jones, In These Times, NACLA Report on the Americas, and, if you want the highbrow version, The New York Review of Books. Old Anthony Lewis columns are instructive as well.
Yes from a columbia sundial piece obama thought the nuclear freeze was not disadventageous enough for us when he visited pakistan he was with the opponents of zia, in retrospect that wasnt a smart alliance
I agree that Obama prefers our enemies, especially Muslims, and identifies as a non-American secretly. He would be more dangerous if he were not so lazy. I sure would like to know who was behind him as he gained power and status.
and identifies as a non-American secretl
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His identifications I’d wager resemble that of every other deputy dean of students. The trouble with Obama is that, in a certain subculture, he’s perfectly normal. Well, now he’s the deputy dean of students sitting on $50 million.
My new daughter-in-law’s parents live in Tehran.
It really is a tragedy what the rulers have done to that country.
My son informs me that 1m Iranians live in SoCal.
I suspect, though I could be wrong, that a significant percentage of the Iranian population in California (as well as the NYC Metropolitan area) are Iranian Jews.
It really is a tragedy what the rulers have done to that country.
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The period running from 1979 to 1989 was perfectly grisly and Iran continues to squander resources and good will on revanchist projects. As far as abuse of the populace goes, one could say it’s not an outlier among the 30-odd countries in the Near East, North Africa, and Central Asia. (Neither was the Shah).
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Iran is not an impoverished wreck on the order of Afghanistan or Tajikistan.
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The real income levels (GDP per capita, PPP) are on the order of an advanced economy a century ago, about 20% those of the United States.
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What fragmentary data on income distribution there is indicates their skew is similar to that of an occidental country, with the most affluent decile receiving shy of 30% of the personal income flow.
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The share of their merchandise export revenue accounted for by fuel and minerals varies from year to year but averages about 65%; they produce other things. Fuel and mineral exports account for about 12% of their nominal GDP in a typical year. Their natural resource bonanza is most important, but they produce a great deal else there.
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About 15% of the population over the age of 15 is illiterate and that’s concentrated among the older age brackets; among those in the 15-25 age bracket, illiteracy has fallen to 2%.
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They have adequate life expectancy at birth (about 76 years). Their total fertility rate is regrettably below replacement level at 1.8 children per woman per lifetime.
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What data is available on violent crime in Iran indicates they have a homicide rate of about 2.4 per 100,000. (For a west European country, about 1/2 that would be normal).
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The country would benefit from running the machine out of town on a rail and would benefit from incremental policy changes. They have a great many assets to live an agreeable life right now.