120 Iranian MP's Quit, label Hard-liners "Taliban"

[democratic]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040201/wl_mideast_afp/iran_vote_040201160003

Iranian reformist MPs quit over poll dispute, label hardliners "Taliban"
Sun Feb 1,11:00 AM ET Add Mideast - AFP to My Yahoo!

TEHRAN (AFP) - Some 120 Iranian reformist MPs resigned in protest at the mass barring of candidates from February 20 elections, plunging the Islamic republic into political chaos in the midst of its 25th anniversary celebrations.

In a damning statement read out Sunday during a stormy Majlis session and relayed live across the country on national radio, the deputies accused powerful hardliners of seeking to impose a Taliban-style religious dictatorship.


"We cannot continue to be present in a parliament that is not capable of defending the rights of the people and which is unable to prevent elections in which the people cannot choose their representatives," they said.


President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites)'s brother Mohammad-Reza, head of the main reformist party, warned of a conservative "coup d'etat" supported by the military.


After being swamped with resignations, pro-reform Majlis speaker Mehdi Karubi admitted the three-week-old crisis had hit a dead-end and appealed for supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step in.

[lazarus]

1. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=340932