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| Mojtaba Arjmand |
“These parliamentarians are actually representatives of the state, not the nation, and they are engaged in justifying the policies of the center among the people,” says Mojtaba Arjmand, commenting on politicians like Urmia MP Nader Ghazipour, who he claims exploit the strong national sentiments in non-Persian communities. Speaking to Voice of America from Urmia, the journalist evaluates the results of Iran’s 10th parliamentary elections from the perspectives of different political currents, as well as women and non-Persian communities. He also comments on the remarks made by MP Nader Ghazipour regarding women, which have been a topic in the Iranian media.
The journalist emphasizes that there is no precise statistic regarding how many parliamentarians each political current has managed to send to the parliament:
“Both fundamentalists (usulgeras) and reformists, as well as moderates, claim they have won these elections. However, there is no precise statistic regarding how many representatives each faction has sent to the parliament, and it is difficult to determine this at the moment. After the rejection of certain candidates, the boundaries between these currents have become weaker. For instance, a fundamentalist politician like Mr. Larijani (the current Speaker of the Iranian Parliament) was at the top of a list supported by reformists in Qom, while at the same time, the Modarres Society (a fundamentalist group) also supported him…”
According to Arjmand, in order to determine the winner of the elections, it is necessary to assess not just the number of parliamentarians but the political weight gained by various political and social ideas and perspectives. He evaluates the election results from the viewpoint of the overall government, fundamentalists, reformists, moderates, as well as non-Persian communities:
“From the perspective of the government, the elections were concluded smoothly and without problems, and the government claims it has gained legitimacy among the people with a 62 percent participation rate, as well as an improved international image.
Reformists and their moderate allies consider themselves the winning side, because after a long period, they managed to regain influence in the public sector and change the composition of the ruling faction in the parliament. However, the quality of this victory will become clear over time. The reason is that they appeared with less well-known or less controversial candidates, according to the government’s viewpoint, and attracted the support of moderates, even incorporating some important figures from the fundamentalist camp... Internal and external opposition groups also supported them.
Fundamentalists also consider themselves the winning side. Although they did not win in Tehran, they consider themselves victorious in other provinces. They explain their situation in Tehran as the result of foreign intervention.
The non-Persian nations or, more precisely, those opposing the centralist ideology, have a different understanding of victory, which is not related to the success of either the reformists or the fundamentalists. To explain this, we must look at the motivations of this group in participating in the elections... Concerns related to identity and national aspirations are the foundation of their thought.”
According to Mojtaba Arjmand, the reason why non-Persian communities, including Turks, have a different understanding of victory in elections is because despite their social weight, these communities have been excluded from political spheres:
“These communities have always faced cultural, economic, and political discrimination, national oppression, and in some places, religious persecution, and as a result, they cannot express their demands. They see centralist thought, as well as Persian chauvinism, as the cause of this situation. Therefore, the cultural community created by centralist thinking does not include other nations... Unfortunately, the concerns and demands of non-Persian communities are not recognized in Iran’s public sphere, and they cannot find a place for themselves. They cannot present themselves to legitimate institutions.
For this reason, regions influenced by centralism, such as Isfahan, Tehran, Shiraz, and Yazd—areas that are ethnically Persian—vote based on the competition between reformists and fundamentalists to improve their conditions. However, in provinces like Sistan-Baluchestan, Khuzestan, and Azerbaijan—ethnically non-Persian or non-Shia areas—this situation is not seen.
The national and identity-based thinking of anti-centralist movements holds great social potential and weight, and the nation responds very positively to this expression. Because these movements are part of the nation, they have managed to keep this thought on the agenda with their efforts. However, the proponents of this thought, for various reasons, cannot wield political influence... All centralist movements support the totalitarian and chauvinistic ideology in Iran and prevent the legitimate organization of this movement and the raising of its demands.
Therefore, during election times, candidates exploit or more precisely misuse this thought to gain votes, pushing aside the proponents of this thought and directing them toward their own interests. Of course, the government is not without a plan on this matter. In general, those who are registered are not representatives of the nation in the center but rather representatives of the government within the nation.”
An employee of the Ağrı newspaper, published in Urmia, comments on the situation in Urmia during the election period, specifically regarding the conditions that led to the election of a politician like Nader Ghazipour.
“In this situation, opportunists like Ghazipour take advantage of the [national] sentiment for their own benefit... However, Ghazipour neither belongs to this sentiment nor accepts it. He is ideologically tied to the center and speaks their language. His errors should be analyzed in this context,” the journalist adds.
Arjmand also shares information with Voice of America regarding the slogans raised by candidates in Urmia and the demands of the people in the region during the election period.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Muctaba Ərcümənd: Bunlar millətin deyil, dövlətin vəkilləridir