Iranian "elections"

Iranian elections for president will be held on June 17th and the Mullahs are hoping for a large turnout. Before you think anything approaching Democracy exist in Iran understand that the power of the president to accomplish anything is dependent on the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Council of Guardians. All legislation goes through the council whose members are chosen by Khamenei. In fact the council has to approve the candidates for election. Out of 1014 who registered as candidates 8 have been allowed to run. Blog Iran is calling for a boycott of the sham elections but the opposition is split on whether or not to vote.

Akbar Ganji, a dissident journalist, has just been release on sick leave from prison. As Michael Ledeen explains these releases are part of the torture regimen employed by Iran.

The cheerless creatures who rule the Islamic republic of Iran have developed a particularly wicked use of torture. Not only do they use the full panoply of physical and psychological horrors on their captives, but they then send the victims back into their homes and neighborhoods for brief periods of "parole" or "medical leave," so that their friends and families can see with their own eyes the brutal effects of the torture.

Despite the fact that he faces being arrested again Ganji is urging voters to stay away. But the leader of Freedom Movement Ibrahim Yazdi wants voters to support Mostafa Moein at the polls. You can catch the debate at
Free Thoughts on Iran.

One pro-boycott argument is that a large turnout legitimizes the elections. The anti-boycott argument is that any democratic exercise should be supported and voting for Moein, a reformer, sends a message to the Mullahs that the Iranian people want change. My thinking is that no amount of voter turnout can legitimize this election except in the minds of idiots like Juan Cole. But the outgoing President was a reformer and the Council shot down any attempts to change the status quo that he tried. So why bother, why vote or even run for that matter? I do hope that our State Department and Bush explain to the American people that what they are hearing about elections in Iran are a farce that will change nothing.

Update:

Charles over at LGF gives us a heads up that the moonbats are ready to hype this charade.

Did you know that Sean Penn is now visiting the Islamic dictatorship of Iran, to report on their "elections" for the San Francisco Chronicle? Getty Images has photos of Spicoli grooving on the Friday prayers at Tehran University. (Hat tip: sharona.)