Mass resignation among Iranian MPs

[Darranar]

Mass resignation among Iranian MPs

A third of Iran's parliament has tendered its resignation in protest over the mass disqualifications of reformers from upcoming parliament elections.

A group of 120 Iranian reformist members of parliament submitted resignations on Sunday to parliament or Majlis speaker Mehdi Karubi. The resignations were effective immediately.

In a joint statement read out by prominent reformist MP Mohsen Mirdamadi, the deputies said they "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 nation cannot choose their representatives."

"They are in the process of removing the republican aspect from the Islamic republic, and installing an Islam comparable to that of the Taliban," the statement said in a cutting comparison of Iranian conservatives to Afghanistan's ousted Taliban group

[pacifictiger]

1. gosh

I wish they had not resigned - it will now be easier to quell their voices. Better that they would have stayed to continue the fight.

[Darranar]

3. One of the interesting things about this...

is that there appears to be no attempt to quell their voices.

In a joint statement read out by prominent reformist MP Mohsen Mirdamadi, the deputies said they "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 nation cannot choose their representatives."

"They are in the process of removing the republican aspect from the Islamic republic, and installing an Islam comparable to that of the Taliban," the statement said in a cutting comparison of Iranian conservatives to Afghanistan's ousted Taliban group.

It was read live on national radio during a stormy session.

Khamenei is actually paying some attention to them, and (supposedly) making an effort to improve political freedom by telling the Guardian Council to be less stringent.

It will be interesting to watch how this progresses.

[Dark Star]

2. Am I correct in surmising this

is NOT good news?

Is this like 1980 redux with a new Khomeini?

[Darranar]

4. New York Times article...

One-Third of Iranian Parliament Quits in Protest

TEHRAN, Feb. 1 — More than one-third of Iran's Parliament resigned Sunday to protest a sweeping ban on candidates running in the parliamentary election later this month. The defiant move threatened to plunge Iran's political system into chaos.

One by one, angry lawmakers who have held a three-week sit-in at the huge Parliament building, marched up to the podium and handed their resignations to the speaker. In an emotional statement read aloud during the session of Parliament on Sunday and broadcast live across the nation on Iranian radio, the members who resigned accused powerful conservatives of seeking to impose a religious dictatorship like that of the Taliban, who were overthrown by American-led forces in Afghanistan.

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

There has been continual tension in Iran between reformers — the president and much of the Parliament — who are pressing for greater religious and cultural freedom, and religious conservatives, who control the judiciary and security services.