Iran's new era

Iran's new era

The victory of Iran's reformers over the conservatives in last
week's parliamentary elections has undoubtedly sent a significant
message to the international community that the younger Iranian
generation would prefer to live a more democratic way of life
rather than live under a theocratic rule.

For years since the Islamic revolution in 1979, Iranians have
had to live under an Islamic code of behavior which restricts
their individual freedom, while those who championed reform were
often considered counterrevolutionary and could face capital
punishment.

Dissatisfaction at the theocratic rule was reflected in last
July's demonstrations by university students, several of whom
were killed while hundreds others were arrested. The protests
were staged against a new law restricting freedom of the press
and closure of a popular reformist newspaper.

Although the Iranian government succeeded in deterring student
protests after introducing stricter laws, it nevertheless failed
to break the spirit of the Iranian reformers who demanded greater
democracy, equality and individual freedom.

This explains why the reformists backing moderate President
Mohammad Khatami won 79 percent of the vote compared with 21
percent for the conservatives.

It remains to be seen, however, whether the reformers' victory
will see them truly bringing great change to Iran, such as the
separation of political power from religious authority,
considering that the country's top decision-making body -- the
Supreme National Security Council -- is still dominated by
conservative clergy.

Besides, the conservatives, who have firm control of the
justice system and the army, will not let go easily without a
fight.

Hence Khatami and his reformist backers cannot turn away from
the hard task of bringing more openness to the Iranian people and
to improve ties with the West, particularly the United States,
which has imposed trade sanctions on Iran, following the
severance of diplomatic ties between Washington and Tehran two
decades ago.

Despite all this, some Western countries have hailed the
result of Iran's election, saying that the reformists' victory
was a positive step toward democracy.

"The election results and the success of the forces of
moderate reform will contribute to an improvement in the dialog
between Iran and the international community, particularly the
European Union," commented Italian foreign minister Lamberto
Dini, who plans to visit the Iranian capital next month.

Other European nations, like Britain and Germany, have also
expressed interest in improving ties with Iran's incoming new
government.

With more industrialized nations boosting relations with a
more democratic Iran which harmonizes democracy and Islam, we
believe that the Tehran government and its economy will develop
well, thereby opening a new era for the Iranian people to improve
their political and economic lives.