AYATOLLAH MONTAZERI CALLS FOR VIGILANCE, WARNS AGAINST FRAUD
TEHRAN 12TH Feb. (IPS) In an open letter to the Iranian nation, the dissident grand ayatollah Hosseinali Montazeri urged the voters to be "vigilant" as to whom they are voting for and called on moderate and reformist candidates to voluntary leave the place to a better placed runner in order not to prevent the conservatives to take advantage from division in the second Khordad (presidential) camp.
A firm supporter of President Mohammad Khatami and his reform progammes, Mr. Montazeeri, who continue to live under house arrest conditions imposed on him by the leader of the Islamic Republic, ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, also warned officials not to allow any fraud, as the votes are "trusts" consigned to the officials in charge and playing with them is a sin.
The grand ayatollah's letter was published Saturday by some independent and reformist newspapers as the electoral campaign entered its second day, with groups of thugs paid by the conservatives rampaged the streets of Tehran and other major cities, destroying posters and slogans of the reformist candidates and attacking some of their campaign head quarters.
Explaining the meaning of the letter, Mr. Ahmad Montazeri, the younger son of the grand ayatollah said in view of his father, elections represents the foundation of the regime based on the expression of the will of the people, with the MPs chosen by the voters to pass laws on their behalf.
As for his advise to the reformist candidates to vacate the place for the better one, the young Montazeri said his father is worried that competition among moderates would benefit the conservatives.
In several letters and an interview with the "Guardian" of London, ayatollah Monatzeri, once the heir to the leadership before being dismissed by grand ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 has insisted that the leader most not be above the laws and the constitution, suggesting for the first time that he also should be elected by the people.
But contrary to the wishes of Mr. Montazeri, the elections for the sixth Majles (parliament) of the 20 years old Islamic Republic of Iran due in just five days is the witness of two major wings of the second Khordad camp fighting each other.
The expected "grand coalition" between the Reconstruction Servants Party (RSP) and the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) was almost shattered after ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the 66 years-old former president and the RSP's spritual leader decided to enter the race.
Though Mr. Mohsen Safa'i Farahani, head of the IIPF's Executive Committee says the Front and the Servants were able to jointly enlist 240 candidates for the future 290 seats Majles, including 20 for the capital Tehran, but observers noted that in answer to the IIPF's refusal to enlist Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, the name of Dr Mohammad Reza Khatami, the brother of the President do not appear on any of the RSP's list.
Explaining why Mr. Rafsanjani was not enlisted by the IIPF, Mr. Safa'i Farahani said his organisation would enlist candidates on conditions that they agree with it's campaign platform and not to figure on the lists of conservatives, but the Chairman of the Copuncil of Discernment insisted to remain above all parties and refused to endorse the IIPF's manifesto.
Asked if the IIPF would endorse Mr. Rafsanjani as the next Speaker, a source close to the party said he doubted. "I don't think we should vote for a man we don't have on our list", the source said, adding stoically "let's wait and see". ENDS ELECTIONS MOTAZERI 12200