"Iran Reformists Barred From Presidency
Jihad Watch
From AP, with thanks to OBL r Us.
TEHRAN, Iran - All reformists who registered to run in next month's presidential elections were rejected by Iran's hard-line constitutional watchdog, which approved only six out of the 1,010 hopefuls, state-run television reported.
The announcement Sunday prompted a crisis meeting by reformers, who immediately threatened to boycott the election.
"We are warning the Guardian Council that we will not participate in the election if it doesn't reverse its decision," Rajabali Mazrouei, a top member of the reformist Islamic Iran Participation Front, told The Associated Press.
"Barring reform candidates means there will be no free or fair election," he said.
There was similar outrage last year when the Council — which supervises the elections — disqualified more than 2,000 reformists from legislative elections, leading to a low turnout. Reformists denounced that vote as a "historical fiasco."
The council's announcement, however, appeared to be the final decision and effectively leaves reformers seeking democratic changes within the ruling Islamic establishment without a candidate...
[Saeed Leylaz, a political analyst said,] "Apparently hard-liners prefer discrediting the country rather than giving up power despite unpopularity.""
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