Iranians shouted “independence, liberty, Islamic republic” during the revolution that toppled the US-backed monarchy, but hopes for freedom and democracy have yet to be fulfilled 30 years down the road.
Veteran revolutionaries see the Islamic republic system as a far cry from the “despotic” rule of the shah that ended on Feb. 10, 1979, and are proud Iran is an independent state free from foreign meddling.
For many conservatives it is an ideal state where people choose their rulers and even the supreme leader — the undisputed number one who has the final say in all key policy issues — is elected by an indirect vote.
However, moderates and reformists complain that the current system, where a powerful watchdog vets candidates running for public office, prevents people from determining their fate through a truly democratic process.
The revolution’s founder, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, “wanted an Islamic republic reliant on people’s votes where Islam is observed,” pro-reform cleric and two-time parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi said.
“We have elections, but there are interventions which hurt the republican nature of the system,” he said.
“Some intervention is legal such as that of the Guardians Council, but it has vastly expanded its control and reads too much into its overseeing role,” Karroubi said.
The council is a non-elected body tasked with overseeing elections under the Constitution and screening parliamentary legislation to ensure it abides by Islam and the Constitution.
It is made up of six senior clerics appointed by the supreme leader and six legal experts named by the judiciary chief — who is also appointed by the leader — whose names are submitted to parliament for approval.
The council has over the past years disqualified thousands of mostly reformist parliamentary and presidential hopefuls, after scrutinizing their allegiance to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Constitution.
It has also trashed many bills, especially those adopted by the reformist-dominated parliament of between 2000 and 2004.
But conservatives regard the vetting as a blessing “because incompetent people and secularists should not come to power,” said Asadollah Badamchian, deputy head of the conservative Islamic Coalition Party.
He also dismissed criticism about lack of freedom in the Islamic republic, adding that his imprisonment and torture under the shah for political dissent.
“Naturally no system can tolerate those who seek to overthrow it, but now we have about 250 political parties and groups who freely meet and a press that harshly criticizes the government,” Badamchian said.
His views, however, are not shared by everyone.
Non-Islamic parties such as those with Marxist and liberal leanings are banned in Iran and several groups that played a key role in the revolution have been forced out of politics, with their candidates disqualified in most polls.
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