Leaked Majlis Documents Making It Harder For Khamenei To Market For His Sham Elections – OpEd

While recently leaked documents exposed the financial corruption of certain members of Iran’s Majlis (Parliament), regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei is still preaching about the necessity of participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections. In a recent meeting with regime loyalists in East Azarbaijan, Khamenei said, “Everyone should participate in the elections. Elections are a fundamental pillar of the system. The path to reforming the country is through elections.” He added, “Those who seek to address and remedy the problems should participate in the elections. Elections are the right path.”

Since the revealed scandals in Majlis have intensified the internal crisis within the regime, Khamenei, to control the situation and silence them, said, “Those who enter the electoral arena should refrain from using foul language, insults, and humiliation towards others… They should avoid spreading negativity. It is not right for some individuals to engage in negative campaigning just to attract attention to themselves; negative campaigning is incorrect, contrary to reality, and based on lies.”

The reality is that the election scandal has become so rampant that even representatives of Khamenei admit repeatedly, even in Friday sermons, that their associates ask them, “Why should we participate in the elections?”

By using ironic language, Khamenei dismissed the idea of selecting the most qualified individuals by the Guardian Council (the body that oversees the elections) and said, “People should pursue the selection of the most qualified. Of course, first and foremost, it is the presence of the people that matters, and then it is the selection of the most qualified. Selecting the most qualified means those who are being brought up because they have surpassed the scrutiny of the Guardian Council, they are all righteous.”

These statements come at a time when Hedayatollah Khademi, a current member of the Majlis qualified by the same Guardian Council, revealed: “Qualification is being bought and sold! And they even receive money to be included in the list!” He explained that he was told, “You have to pay $120,000 in debt for us to approve you!”

Certainly, this is a small amount in comparison to the embezzlement and plundering taking place in the parliament. It seems that the Guardian Council and the regime have granted significant discounts to the mentioned individuals, as the minimum income of a representative in the parliament is 2.5 billion rials according to the recently leaked documents. Furthermore, with the approval of a specific law by the relevant authorities, namely Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), they receive incentives that are several times this amount.

Another member of parliament, Jalal Rashidi Kouchi, also revealed in an interview on February 15, “They were offering me 1.5 to 2 trillion rials to go for an interview and declare that the story of car imports is baseless.” When the concerned host expresses surprise and asks, “Does the parliament really have this much (income)?” Rashidi responds, “For someone who seeks it, yes! It has much more than you think!”

Indeed, the Iranian Resistance has long stated that Khamenei can amplify his foolishness and frivolity, but he cannot change the reality that there is no room for “election” within the regime; it is a time for “revolution.” This language is a clear indication that on the streets, there is a clear demand for fundamental transformation and the overthrow of this regime, which has a record of crimes and plunder. The rebellious youth and the disillusioned people have resolved to eradicate this cancerous tumor from their homeland.