Scotsman.com News - International - Liberal = politicians resign in Iran



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Liberal politicians resign in=20 Iran

BORZOU = DARAGAHI IN=20 TEHRAN

ONE by one, dozens of deputies walked to the podium = and=20 submitted their resignations in an extraordinary = session of=20 the Iranian parliament yesterday morning that could = mark the=20 end of hopes for peaceful political change in the = country.=20

In total, more than 40 per cent of the Iranian = parliament=20 resigned to try to force the clerical hierarchy to = reinstate=20 thousands of liberal candidates disqualified from the = coming=20 elections.

The mass resignation "will determine Iran=E2=80=99s = direction -=20 rule of absolute dictatorship or democracy", reformist = lawmaker Mohammad Kianoush-Rad said.

The speaker, Mahdi Karroubi, who took the yellow=20 resignation papers from the 124 legislators, appealed = to=20 Iran=E2=80=99s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, = to intervene to=20 resolve the crisis. But Mr Khamenei left Tehran for an = undisclosed location, making it difficult to reach = him,=20 parliamentary officials said.

Mr Karroubi made a rare attack on the Guardian = Council, the=20 unelected body of hardline clerics that disqualified = more than=20 2,400 reformist candidates from the legislative = elections due=20 on 20 February.

"Are you loyal to Islam if you pray daily, but then = trample=20 on the rights of the people?" said Mr Karroubi, = himself a=20 cleric.

Mr Karroubi accused the Guardian Council of = "disrespecting=20 democratic values and having no faith in a popular = vote".

The blacklisted politicians blasted the elections = as=20 illegitimate, some saying they will continue their = 22-day=20 sit-in protest inside the parliament.

"An election with results already known is = treasonous to=20 the nation," Rajab Mazroui, one of 87 legislators = barred from=20 running, told his colleagues in parliament.

Despite weeks of negotiations the Guardian Council = refused=20 this weekend to allow prominent members of the = parliament=E2=80=99s=20 reformist faction to run, paving the way for a = conservative=20 takeover of the legislature.

The council denies political motives and argues the = disqualified lacked the criteria to stand. But more = than 80 of=20 the disqualified were elected in the 2000 elections. =

Earlier, the president, Mohammad Khatami, suggested = his=20 government would call off the elections. "My = government will=20 only hold competitive, free elections. The parliament = must=20 represent the views of the majority and include all=20 [political] tendencies," he said.