By Taher Shir Mohammadi – Deutsche Welle Persian – April 15, 2013
The issue of ethnic rights has become the most important campaign topic for the rival candidates in regions with ethnic minorities in the country. Do ethnic voters believe in the promises of presidential candidates?
In the 10th presidential election in 2009, candidates Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi promised that if they were elected president, they would facilitate the teaching of mother tongues to ethnic groups. Mir Hossein Mousavi, in addition to wearing Turkmen clothing, also tried to speak in Azerbaijani Turkish.
On the other hand, the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, chaired by then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was also a candidate in the 10th presidential election, even approved a resolution for the teaching of the languages of ethnic groups. However, neither Mousavi nor Karroubi were able to fulfill their promise, and Ahmadinejad’s resolution was never implemented. Many critics have evaluated such promises as mere election campaign rhetoric that remained on paper.
The Hottest Issue in Ethnic Regions
Some members of the election campaign teams of presidential candidates in ethnic regions explained to Deutsche Welle that ethnic affiliation is highly influential in these areas, and it is expected that this time, issues related to ethnic minorities will become the hottest topic in the elections.
It is predicted that discussions around the implementation of Articles 15 and 19 of the Constitution related to the languages and literatures of ethnic groups, as in previous elections, will become a key issue in the election campaigns of candidates in ethnic regions.
ILNA news agency reported Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, stating: "Considering ethnic minorities as a threat is an unforgivable sin." This presidential candidate described ethnic groups as an unparalleled opportunity for the advancement of Iran.
Qalibaf: Ethnic Groups Are an Unmatched Opportunity for the Country's Advancement
According to ILNA news agency, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, a candidate for the 11th presidential election, said during a speech to the Bakhitiari intellectuals on April 15, 2013: “One of the issues that is sometimes raised is the question of ethnic groups in the country. Unfortunately, some people interpret this issue as a major threat, which is a big mistake and an unforgivable sin, because ethnic groups are one of the unique opportunities for the Islamic system.”
Qalibaf first entered the presidential race in 2005, where he received over 4 million votes, ranking after Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Mehdi Karroubi, but before Ali Larijani. Qalibaf did not run in the 2009 presidential election and took a stance against the Green Movement protests.
Ethnic Votes in the Presidential Election
Navid Qaedi, a social activist from Ahvaz and knowledgeable about electoral and ethnic issues, told Deutsche Welle: "The role of ethnic groups is different. For example, the Lor and Bakhtiari ethnic groups, which live in six provinces across the country, from the central to the southwest of Iran, are very important. The Lor and Bakhtiari groups, after the Turkish-speaking people, make up the largest ethnic populations in the country. Therefore, Turks, Lors, and Bakhtiaris represent 40 to 50 percent of the presidential election votes."
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| The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, chaired by Ahmadinejad, approved a resolution to teach the languages of various ethnic groups. However, this resolution was never implemented. |
Faramerz Bakhtiar, a political activist living in Germany and one of the founders of the "Lur and Bakhtiari Union Party," explained in an interview with Deutsche Welle: “The Bakhtiaris and Lors mostly live in the provinces of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, western Fars, Bushehr, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, parts of western and southern Esfahan, parts of Khuzestan, and also in Lorestan, Ilam, Hamadan, parts of Kermanshah, Markazi province, and Andimeshk in Khuzestan.”
According to Faramerz Bakhtiar, presidential candidates from the Lor and Bakhtiari ethnic groups, despite being affiliated with the ruling establishment and having campaigned extensively to gain the votes of the Lor and Bakhtiari people, have never been successful. He cites, for example, that during the 10th presidential election, both Mohsen Rezaei, the commander of the IRGC during the Iran-Iraq War, and Mehdi Karroubi, former Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, were figures of Lur ethnicity.
Navid Qaedi, a social activist from Ahvaz, also commented that the Bakhtiari tribe’s sense of ethnic identity is less pronounced due to their widespread distribution across various provinces, unlike other ethnic groups like the Kurds, Baluchis, and Turkmens who have a more unified presence in border provinces. Qaedi emphasized that their support for a particular candidate could still have a significant impact.
According to data from the Iranian Ministry of the Interior, in various presidential elections, the people of ethnic regions have shown active participation and have come out in large numbers to vote. Those familiar with ethnic issues have stated that despite doubts regarding the fulfillment of ethnic demands, people in ethnic regions will still vote for candidates who accept their ethnic requests.
Do Voters in Ethnic Regions Believe the Promises?
A political activist working in the presidential campaign in the Golestan province, who wished to remain anonymous, told Deutsche Welle: "Despite the fact that fundamental rights like the right to mother tongue education, the right to peaceful assembly, and the rights of Sunni Muslims, which are explicitly stated in the Iranian Constitution, have not been implemented since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution, ordinary people still somewhat believe the promises of the candidates. Although they no longer have much hope for ethnic issues to be addressed in the current system, the promises still influence their votes."
He continued, "The situation is different for intellectuals and ethnic elites. They know they cannot fully rely on the candidates’ statements, but they are always forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. They understand that the president is not the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, and decisions on these matters are not within the president’s power, but they have to vote for someone who will at least not make the current situation worse."
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| It is predicted that the implementation of Articles 15 and 19 of the Constitution, concerning the language and literature of ethnic groups, will become a central topic in the election campaigns of candidates in ethnic regions, as in previous election cycles. |
This election campaign activist, who has worked on various election teams in the past, further explained: "For instance, Dr. Moein in the 2005 election promised to create a Ministry of Ethnic Groups, with a minister chosen from among the ethnic minorities. However, most intellectuals and elites from ethnic groups understand that the decision to create such a ministry is beyond the president's authority. In such circumstances, believing in the candidates' promises is naïve."
However, the activist stressed, “Nevertheless, ethnic groups prefer to vote for candidates who are critical of the system and those who support reform rather than candidates from the right wing. They tend to see the right wing as representing a narrow-minded, reactionary, and extremist viewpoint."
The link to the original article in Farsi on Deutsche Welle Persian:
مسائل قومیتها در تبلیغات انتخابات ریاست جمهوری