Gathering the news about Iran's 2009 National election in one place.

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Iran Protests Subside, but Internal Squabbles Continue (VoA)

Posted Tue, 2009-07-28 16:36 by IRelec09

Iran Protests Subside, but Internal Squabbles Continue: Via Voice of America.

The street protests in Iran have faded in the face of the government's security crackdown. But the political squabbles and bickering continue. Internal feuds that were once kept behind closed doors have erupted into the open, providing a rare glimpse of political tensions in the Islamic Republic.

Suzanne Maloney of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy told a recent congressional hearing that the level of squabbling among Iran's political heavyweights is unprecedented.

"The other profound consequence for the Iranian regime ... is the cleavage within the political elite. There is always been factional bickering within Iran, but we have never seen anything at this level, and we have never seen the direct assault on the authority of the office of the supreme leader," she said.

When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was ordered by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to drop his choice of Rahim Esfandiar Mashaei to be first vice-president, he initially refused.
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Two Ministers Forced to Leave Iran's Cabinet

Posted Mon, 2009-07-27 13:26 by IRelec09

Two Ministers Forced to Leave Iran's Cabinet: Via washingtonpost.com .

TEHRAN, July 26 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad fired his intelligence minister and his culture minister resigned under pressure Sunday as further rifts emerged in his camp with just days to go until his controversial inauguration for a second term.

Although Ahmadinejad has frequently replaced his cabinet members over the past four years, Sunday's firing and resignation were significant because both Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and Culture Minister Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi are especially close to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, analysts say.

"All ministers are close to him," said Amir Mohebbian, a political analyst who shares Ahmadinejad's ideology but has been critical of his actions. "But these two are closer to the leader."

Taken together, the moves suggest deep unhappiness within Ahmadinejad's inner circle at a time when the government is still reeling from the impact of a weeks-long campaign by the opposition to overturn the results of June's disputed election, in which Ahmadinejad was declared the winner in a landslide.
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Iran lawmaker pronounces Cabinet sessions 'illegal' ( PressTV.ir )

Posted Sun, 2009-07-26 14:11 by IRelec09

Iran lawmaker pronounces Cabinet sessions 'illegal': Via PressTV.ir .

After the dismissal of Iran's intelligence minister, a lawmaker declares as 'illegal' all Cabinet sessions of the current government until President Ahmadinejad's official inauguration for his second term.

"More than half of the Cabinet members have been changed. So, in less than two weeks before the government's tenure, the Cabinet sessions are illegal and cannot pass ratifications," Vice Speaker of Parliament Mohammad-Reza Bahonar told Mehr News Agency on Sunday.

According to Article 136 of Iran's Constitution, if more than half of the members of Cabinet are replaced, “the government must seek a fresh vote of confidence from Parliament.”
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Mousavi 'under 24-hour guard'

Posted Tue, 2009-06-23 17:55 by IRelec09

Mousavi 'under 24-hour guard': Via Middle East, World - The Independent(UK).

The Iranian opposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi is under 24-hour guard by secret police and no longer able to speak freely to supporters, according to the film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf.

Mr Makhmalbaf, 52, an informal spokesman abroad for the protest in Iran, said that Mr Mousavi was not under arrest but "he has security agents, secret police with him all the time. He has to be careful what he says."

In a telephone interview, Mr Makhmalbaf, the director of the 2001 film Kandaha, denied suggestions that the protests against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were losing steam.

"The regime, arguably, is losing ground, not the protests," he said. "Ordinary Iranians are openly rejecting the legitimacy and power of Ayatollah Khamanei. That is entirely new, unheard of."
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