WASHINGTON, DC, U.S., February 20, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Washington, DC, February 20, 2020--The U.S. Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) held a press briefing in its Washington office on the Iranian regime’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
Soona Samsami, the U.S. representative of the NCRI, told reporters that the elections this year are very different than previous elections. “The 2020 Parliamentary elections are taking place after three major uprisings in Iran in January 2018, November 2019, and January 2020, which shook the regime to its foundations,” Samsami said. “The population has risen against the rampant corruption, economic mismanagement, and lack of freedoms.”
Samsami said that the purge by the Guardian Council reflected the “increasing vulnerability and deadly impasse of Khamenei. His tolerance threshold is at a new low. He is confronted with two choices, each of which is more dangerous than the other.” The NCRI representative listed Khamenei choices as:
To close ranks even more while adopting a more aggressive posture toward the U.S., and carry out more internal purges and suppression.
To lessen the conflict with the U.S. and accept some of the 12 points announced by Secretary Mike Pompeo, which would involve showing flexibility and tolerance at home.
“Based on the regime's internal deliberations, Khamenei has decided to close ranks and carry out a complete purge during the elections,” Samsami said.
CRI-US Deputy Director Alireza Jafarzadeh provided three reasons for the purge.
1) Fear of uprisings - The regime is afraid that any split within the ruling elite would fuel more uprisings which, in turn, would deepen internal schisms, shearing off individuals who are not completely subservient and loyal to the regime.
2) Fear of the opposition - The regime is alarmed that the opposition, and particularly the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), would exploit its internal schisms in the era of popular uprisings, thus facilitating its overthrow.
3) Fear of the U.S. - The regime is worried that any schism would aggravate its vulnerability in its stand-off with the U.S.
Jafarzadeh commended U.S. special representative for Iran Brian Hook for the new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Government on the Guardian Council members, including Ahmad Jannati and Mohammad Yazdi. Hook described the election sham as “an event euphemistically called elections” for the Iranian legislature.
Jafarzadeh said that such increased sanctions by the United States, “send a strong signal to the Iranian people that their repressive rulers’ suppression is not condoned by the international community as the Iranian people and their organized Resistance continue their uprising for regime change by Iranians.”
Jafarzadeh said, “Many candidates who have a good chance of getting into the parliament have spent years in the Iranian regime’s IRGC, the Qods Force, the Bassij, and the MOIS.” This by itself further puts the regime and its parliament at odds with the Iranian people, who have already decided to boycott the elections, and are chanting “My vote is regime change.”
“The Iranian people’s legitimate demands were met with bullets and machine guns. 1,500 were killed and over 12,000 arrested. They have no desire to participate in an election, which only has one purpose: to keep those responsible for these crimes in power,” Jafarzadeh said.
