The Crunch Came

Very upset. It is hard to write. Everyone is in ultimate shock of these unprecedented, unbelievable and horrible results. When I voted yesterday, I would never imagine such outcome. Cannot comment about rumors of fraud in election but this is just wrong. Everywhere people are talking about this, biting their nails. This could really be avoided if those reformists who supported the boycott would have not done so. I received calls from friends who boycotted the election; they are now desperately calling for vote for Rafsanjani although they all dislike him (I can imagine his ear to ear smile if it happens) They are escaping from imagining the hard line, ultraconservative Ahmadinejad as president, busy with jeopardizing all of our passion for democracy within the past few years, ruining our desire for being a republic buy turning the cabinet a puppet for the non-elected individuals. Again, the clerics cornered us in a dead lock and it’s very unfortunate that we locked the last door behind us and surrendered our little chance to have our say and do some action to those who were ready to vote by the order from the conservatives. The game that conservative supporters are playing is not fair but they are prepared, instead their rivals decided to watch the massacre of their rights. Most of the undemocratic characteristics of the election were also present eight years ago but we made the conservatives believe that we can deny them and have our say. We voted for Khatami and what a day it was! Compare the two days. If we acted same as yesterday eight years ago, no reform would have been possible at all.
More: I have found this community in which this post is being disscused and there are negative comments I liked reading. I wish they would comment here. The comments are open and all welcomed!?

Comments

[ali from tehran]

Hi again Mr. Behi, I really don't want to stalk you on your own blog but please come and be at least honest with yourself. It was a mistake to vote. There is no reform untill khamanei is supreme leader. And they will stuff ballot boxes with every thing they can.

I know this is a hard fact but this is the reality.

Until gaurdian council and khamanei are ruling our country there is no reform.

[Another Irani]

Well, my dear Mr. Behi. Let's face it and don't blame the boycotters. Boycott was the only solution: if they cheated, then why did we vote and give them the face they needed? If they didn't then voting was a mistake again, since people did not like Moeen. I'm just thinking what will happen to Ganji?

[Jim S]

There are now apparently three kinds of sham elections.

The kind where the vote is rigged by stuffing ballot boxes or making certain the extreme penalties of voting for the "wrong" candidate are understood, the kind where there is never anyone but one candidate and/or party on the ballot and the Iranian method where you can vote for anyone that a committee of Mullahs approves but it doesn't really matter because even if some reformists are let through by the committee once in office they have no power to do anything of real importance to the country.

There will be no reform from within in Iran with the existing system and the Iranians have not yet reached the point of desparation to where they are ready for another revolution.

They got what they thought they wanted with their Islamic Republic and it's a shame that more Muslims across the world don't understand that despite their denials they will generate something similar if not identical if they get their governments "influenced by Islam".

[hanieh]

"Until gaurdian council and khamanei are ruling our country there is no reform."

Are you saying this in an absolute manner?
Compare 1990 with 2005. Reform did happen, however small or unsatisfying. Are you going to be the one to start a revolution tomorrow? Do you know someone who will?

The previous comment mentions that Iranians are not that desperate to start a revolution, today or tomorrow. I don't know if desperate is the right word. I think lack of organization and structure is more descriptive. But anyway, I agree with the main point, (there will be no internal revolution today or tomorrow!). What choices are we currently and realistically left with?

Because the choices we are faced with are not democratic does not imply that we should not practice the extremely limited democracy that we are given to select the lesser of the evil.

If Nouri had become president instead of Khatami, the face of Iran would have been completely different today. Atleast to this degree, we can say that voting matters.

[lakghettas]

I have been following the Iranian elections as they unfold thnaks mainly to the postings on blogs in English by Iranians both inside and outside Iran. I am based in UK. I stayed in this Friday following the election news online. I kept monitoring your blog's coverage hour after hour not only because i am interested in Middle East affairs but also because i am a postgraduate student conducting a reseach in the area of Iran's foreign policy with regard to the current issue of nuclear programme. I must say I am surprised, like many, by the election results. What bothers me most is the fact that it seems even those inside Iran got it wrong. As for us --outside Iran-- we can always blame it on our reliance on MSM or on the projection of our hopes on the outcome of polls. Here is one of the the initial reactions of academics in the west http://www.juancole.com/

[km]

Do you really think they cheated? Or shouldn't we always keep in mind that what we read in blogs and the internet represents only the opinion of the educated middle and upper class of Iran - and now the elections show that there are many other people in Iran who don't have their say in weblogs and who obviously are quite satisfied with the ruling system. I don't know - but wonder what you think.
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Mr. Behi says: I can not comment if this cheating indeed happened but there are claims. I belive reofrmists lost because yes, they did not reach out to common people. The fact is that many of the people were hopless about reform and did not go for it. Mnay are so busy thinking for their every day lives and have so much economic struggle, that they have no room for politics. That is why Karubi got this many votes with simple promise of cash allowance to people each month. But I do not belive it means satisfaction.
At least in my case, yes my blog represents just my views. I can not comment how many people do agree with what I write. Those who strongly agree or disagree het motivated enough to leave comments. I hope we get more Iranian English blogs so that the coverage can include more range of opinions.

[km]

And by the way: What will now happen next Friday? Is it better to boycott and let Ahmadinejad win - or to choose the lesser of the two evils and go to vote for Rafsanjani?
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Mr. Behi says: Still thinking but I guess we have no choice other than preventing Ahmadinejad from moving more. This is a bitter decision to make.

[Sultan]

Salam Mr. Behi,
I was the one who shared your blog on the community board you mentioned.
I thought your posting reflected the dissapointment and fear of many of us.
I personally agree with you on many of the points you make. The boycott really didn't materialize and the reformers shot themselves in the foot I feel.
Good job on the blog. I really I'm glad I found your blog because I love to hear from inside Iran since I live on the outside.
Thanks again.

[Ali]

I honestly think blaming those who boycotted is not just. Democracy begins from within us and one of the rules of democracy is to pursue and admit the roots of injustice. It's easy to say if you (who boycotted) had voted this and that would/wouldn't happen. But you should remember a few things before you make that judgment in my humble opinion.

1. Those who boycotted, as wrong as you may think their decision was, have the right to do so and blaming them for the results today is nothing short of rejecting the individual's right to act as they presume right, which is the first rule of democracy. We can't pressure people to do what we think is right, by blaming them for the loss of the results we seek.

3. More than 60% participation means those who boycotted didn't succeed. That's a huge turnover, by all standards.

2. With all fraud considered, Moeen would not have won the popular vote under any circumstances.

Dearest Mr. Behi, I share and understand your concerns. I lived through those concerns with your generation. The problem, however, resides not in the disappointed hands of the boycotters, but in the very structure of the IRI and the strategic mistakes of those who want to change it.

Like a journalist put it, if you don't want to fail the exam by 0.5 if you feel the instructor doesn't like your face, maybe you should get 14, instead of 10! Blaming the teacher won't help.

[Papaypm]

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