Under the Iranian system, you cannot run for office without the approval of the guardian council. Therefore, the Guardian Council effectively has control of the government. They can prevent anyone who does not share their views from running for office.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/h...ml/default.stm

See the red dotted line? That indicates that the Guardian Council has a veto on any candidate running for office in Iran. The Guardian Council can arbitrarily deny you the right to run for office.

That one red dotted line is what makes Iran a non-democracy. Thats it.

__________________
My Political Blog (Last post Feb 14) - My MySpace Page

Yeah sure.
8 days later- our "Iran expert" is nowhere to be found.
Not that he can answer SenaxFlatulus already accurate description.. and to which Perham conspicuously had no answer- but skipped to someone' else's 'anti-colonialist' post- having Nothing to do with "Iran Elections".

I just missed this thread.

P.S. do you have any personal enmity with me? I'm feeling your hate, even at this far distance.

__________________
I crave therefore I am and that is all I ever feel
I hoped you'd understand, One love, One pain, One enemy
I toast to misery, as I dig into the devil's bone
And for eternity the pain became me
Unholy me alone...

Nice of you to stop by again/

But you still haven't provided the promised commentary- NOR answer me about SenaxFlatulus correctly dscribing the process you seek to Hide.
No time again.. now or then?

It's a shame to have a resource who's bent on being an Theocracy propagandist - especially at the age when freedom and rebellion should be ringing.

Here is a video I found of people in line voting:

http://irannegah.com/Video.aspx?id=530

First off I can see that you're new so welcome. Providing a link is on the right track. But in this case we aren't aguing whether Iranians fill out ballots or not.

See the issue is that they have a Supreme Leader, who is directly responsible for naming half of the "Council of Guardians" and is indirectly responsible for the other half. These people then determine the candidates that the people could vote for. So imagine if Bush were our Supreme Leader. His cabinet might be like the Council of Guardians. So you can bet that Obama and Hillary wouldn't be on the ballot. And I wouldn't expect McCain to get in either. You'd probably be able to vote between Romney, Huckabee, and maybe a couple others thrown in for variety. And the GOP would control 100% of congress as well, though I imagine they'd split into different parties. Maybe the real conservatives, vs the moderates, vs the guys who focus on immegration and so on. So it would seem like there are multiple parties in play.


Oh and since I don't think i.beletesri is going to answer your question Perham. I think he might be Israeli (at least he comes off that way). So your leadership sort of wants to see his country dissolved, and may hope he dies in the process. So he's a little hostile on these issues.

However I think everyone is curious on your take on the whole Supreme leader/Guardians business.

huh well that would explain a lot. Israeli rightwingnuts could run circles around America's rightwingnuts.

well, usually supreme leader doesn't take sides. however, guardian council took side in recent elections. but I know they can't resist people's will as it happened in the Second of Khordad and other elections before 7th parliamentary elections. after that, people lost their faith on reformists. in 14th of march elections, although some reformists were filtered, but still there was a good amount of reformist candidates, but people didn't chose 'em. I myself was surprised of the results, I really thought that this election would be a total victory for reformists, apparently, most of people don't agree with me. the new parliament is formed by 50% radical conservatives, 30% government-critic conservatives and the other 20% are reformists.

this is a revolutionary country, people won't stand dictatorship. if they feel that they're under burden of a dictator, they will fight back. our system may not be complete democracy, but it's far from being dictatorship. although I think that free democracy without any filters could lead us to elect the most propagandist candidate instead of the best one.

__________________
I crave therefore I am and that is all I ever feel
I hoped you'd understand, One love, One pain, One enemy
I toast to misery, as I dig into the devil's bone
And for eternity the pain became me
Unholy me alone...

No one is arguing that Iran does not hold elections. What we are arguing is that the elections are empty, since you cant vote for who you want if the Guardian Council does not like your candidate. They can override your decision.

That is not democracy.


The point is that you, and the rest of the Iranian masses, have no control over that. You have to cross your fingers and HOPE that he and the Guardian Council allow your candidate to run. That is not democracy. HE has the power...not you.



Legally, yes, they can. Legally, there is nothing you can do to stop them.

Unlike Saddam's Iraq, there is a slim chance that you could become a democracy peacefully. Iran is an oligarchy, but a very complex one, so it is possible that people sympathetic to democratic views could wiggle into positions of power and change things.

But it seems unlikely.



You do not live in a dictatorship. A dictatorship requires a dictator. You live in a theocratic oligarchy.

If your country was a true democracy, revolution would not be required to change it.



It isn't a democracy at all, by definition.

There is no such thing as "Western" democracy...either a nation is a democracy or it is not. There is no in between. And the specific execution of the democracy is irrelevant...all that matters is that political power rests with the masses. Thats it.



Who should get to decide if a candidate is propagandist or the "best" one? You and the rest of the common people, or a bunch of unelected people in a dark room?

__________________
My Political Blog (Last post Feb 14) - My MySpace Page

Enmity?
Yes.. expressed publicly several times before.

And exactly why Also expressed many times before ... and Mostly beacuse of Perham's Intentional Deceptions and Propaganda on behalf of the ayatollahocracy.
ie my posts here- (yes sunnyside)- I have already answered his Disingenuous question Many times. Now he asks as if we never interacted? LOL

any questions about Iran?
and the Following page as well.

AND also in this related string Domestic Terror in Iran in which sunnyside participated.
Now sunnyside as well forgtets and asks a new 'explanation' as if I haven't given one?

Both in this string and that- instead of lending his first hand knowledge for enlightenment- he uses it to TRY and pull the wool over everyone's eyes on behalf of the Khomeinists.

Yet many in this string and that have now exposed this apologists Deceptions and put the record straight on that govt.

Lastly, I am strongly Pro-Israel- with cause. But am not Israeli and have never even been there nor have any relatives there.
Born, Bred, and rarely even left the shores of God Bless America.