Iranian opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi has vowed to continue his campaign against the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which he has maintained is illegitimate in the wake of last month’s contested elections. Still, it seems the violent demonstrations have subsided, and Iran has returned to relative normalcy.
At least superficially. Privately many members of Iran’s powerful clergy remain dissatisfied with the reaction of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a growing number are willing to publicly criticize both the vote and Khamenei.
In the end, the resentment and growing opposition in the clergy could prove a serious threat to Khamenei’s grip on power, and may well be a problem for him to deal with long after the contested presidential election is nothing more than a memory.
Still, it remains unclear just how far opposing ayatollahs will be willing to go against Khamenei’s rule. Nevertheless, the Iranian government appears to be facing one of the worst domestic crises of confidence since the 1979 revolution.
Much better sources of information can be found by reading up on M. K. Badhrakumar, an Indian diplomat with decades of service. What has been missed all along is the on going struggle between the arch-oligarchs within the clerical establishment and the population at large. Khamenei has an absoute advantage. Having nurtured to strength the new uncorruptible leadership under the first Ahmedinejad term, the real clean up of corruption is about to start. The allignment between the Ahmedinijad's right, and the religious progressive left is telling. Rafsanjani will retain his "Gucci crowd" of northern Tehran, but there is where the popularity of corrupt "reformers" ends. There will be no purges, as it goes against the grain of Iranian politics. But the gradual marginalization of the clerical oligarchs is expected. It just looks like they will not go quietly like Yeltsin did. They have billions in overseas investments, and will try to lay low and wait for the next chance at power grab.
But the present grand Ayatollah just seems to be ashamed to be infantile with respect to these matters. For all intents and purposes He will become without a Soul for all of these corruptions. His soul dissolved to insuler, at best, martyrdom and, at worst, man of resentment.
Mr. Khamenei, comment out loud what an election is supposed to be for Allah, the gracious, the merciful, and you won't have to dread the results in those awkward ways again. Late into the night you will see that the working man of Iran has his mercy for Loving from the change in the heart for his Jobs, his livelihood and his compassion for his family (as a result of his possible Win or Not).
He needs to win if the results have no justice. Agreed. We suffer elections to the End in the West.