February 13, 2008
THE SHOCK OF THE INEVITABLE:
Iran Reinstates Khomeini's Grandson for Election: Report
(AFP, 2/13/08)
Iran has allowed a grandson of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and other reformists to stand in parliamentary elections after initially disqualifying them, reports said on Wednesday.Ali Eshraghi was one of more than 2,200 mainly reformist candidates disqualified in the initial phase of vetting to the dismay of moderates but has now been reinstated by the hardline Guardians' Council.
The Guardians' Council, Iran's main vetting body, announced on Tuesday that 280 of the candidates disqualified in the original vetting were being reinstated to stand in the March 14 elections.
People spend a lot of time fretting about the various biases of the media, but what should really concern is the incompetence. Iran's may not be the most transparent regime going, but any casual observer knew this was coming. Only the "experts" didn't. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 13, 2008 8:01 AM
280 out of 2200 - just under 13%.
There's no way for us to know, but I'll wager that these 13% were set-ups from the beginning, red herrings to let the Guardians keep out anyone who really is a "reformist".
It's sort of like choosing a superdelegate, no? They aren't going to let any wild cards inside.
Posted by: jim hamlen at February 13, 2008 12:05 PMThey use it as a way of choosing which Reformers should be elected. Didn't work last time. Might this, the Reformers having learned their lesson. The superdelegate comparison is apt.
Posted by: oj at February 13, 2008 7:44 PM