A new chapter in Iranian politics has begun.
The Revolutionary Parliament’s vote of confidence to all proposed cabinet members by Masoud Pezeshkian was an unexpected and significant event. This vote of confidence, overshadowed by Pezeshkian’s speech in parliament and the discussion surrounding his remarks about complete coordination with various branches of the system, did not receive the attention it deserved.
However, the vote of confidence for Mohammadreza Zafarqand, Ahmad Meidari, and Farzaneh Sadegh Malvajerd contains deeper meanings that need to be analyzed.
The formation of the national unity cabinet signifies a significant development in the country’s social and political relations that should not be overlooked.
Ignoring this change could lead us astray in analyzing political relations and providing appropriate solutions for national issues. But what are the signs of this change and transformation?
Overcoming the conflicts created in the sixth parliament.
The letter of resignation by the representatives of the sixth parliament and their seclusion within the parliament has been a matter that has cast a shadow over the country’s political relations in the past two decades.
The signatories of that letter and those who participated in that seclusion were practically excluded from the country’s formal and executive relations, and even if their views changed, they still faced difficulties in entering the country’s executive structure.
But now the vote of confidence by the parliament in Ahmad Meidari indicates that those faint conflicts between Khamenei and Cheboksar have been resolved.
Overcoming these conflicts after two decades could mark the end of one of the important political divides in the country that had been created among political forces loyal to the revolution and the Islamic Republic.
A step towards repairing the gap resulting from the events of 1988.
The protests of 1988 are one of the important political turning points in the past four decades. After those protests, the political relations between forces loyal to the revolution and the system underwent a profound transformation.
Many of those protesters, including figures who had sacrificed in the early years of the revolution, ended up in prison. Personalities like Seyed Mohammad Khatami were restricted, and the leaders of the protests have been under house arrest for about 14 years now.
On the other hand, the political system also suffered significant damage from those protests. Those protests created one of the most important political divides in the country and turned into a wound that had not been treated even before the administration of Masoud Pezeshkian.
Despite efforts made by the government of Hassan Rouhani to heal this wound, due to the situation and conflicts that the government faced, these efforts practically remained unsuccessful. However, the vote of confidence by the revolutionary parliament in Mohammad Reza Zaferani, who is openly critical of the leadership’s crackdown on the protests of 2009 and has stood by his positions, carries significant meaning. It shows that the old wound is gradually being healed and new possibilities for repairing the gap between the protesters of that year and the political system have emerged.
Although this gap will not be completely filled as long as the crackdown continues, Zaferani’s presence in the government, whose image was also published in Imam Khomeini’s Hussainiyeh, can be a symbol of reducing the gap resulting from that era. Events and developments in the coming months and years will show to what extent this move will continue.
The presence of women in the cabinet to bridge the gender gap.
The presence of Farzaneh Sadegh Malvajerd in the cabinet of Masoud Pezeshkian is an important phenomenon that should not be overlooked.
Until now, it was only during Ahmadinejad’s government that a woman managed to become a minister, and it is said that even Hassan Rouhani could not utilize women in ministerial positions, which led to significant protests from women.
Now, rumors are circulating that Masoud Pezeshkian’s government could introduce up to two women as ministers to the parliament.
Although it is unclear whether these rumors are true or not, appointing Farzaneh Sadegh Malvajerd, a woman, to a structural ministry could be interpreted as a step towards reducing gender inequality in the country.
While gender gap cannot be solved by having a female minister alone, Malvajerd’s appointment carries symbolic meaning and indicates that the country’s political structure is embracing the utilization of capable women.
At the time of writing this text, rumors have emerged that a woman will also become the government’s spokesperson, making Masoud Pezeshkian’s government the first to have a female spokesperson. This appointment further reinforces that symbolic significance.
Sunni presence in the cabinet
Based on the news and rumors circulating these days, it seems that Masoud Pezeshkian’s cabinet will welcome a Sunni member for the first time in the country, with one of the vice presidents being from the Sunni community.
Being present in the cabinet as a minister or vice president has been one of the demands of the Sunni community, which has been expressed repeatedly by them since the time of President Hassan Rouhani.
This demand is now being realized in the Masoud Pishkian government, and for the first time, a Sunni will be a member of the cabinet, a symbolic phenomenon that could be a step towards bridging the gap with the Sunni community in the country.
The gap between the formal structure and the Sunnis, which intensified from the protests of 1401, has serious consequences for the country, and this action of employing Sunni forces in the position of the Vice President can be a sign of efforts to reduce this gap.
Each of the above cases has important social and political implications and indicates a significant change and transformation in the country’s political relations.
If before the Masoud Pishkian government, some resistance to resolving social and political gaps was observed, now with the trust placed in Masoud Pishkian, a change in approach to dealing with existing political and social gaps in the country is evident. Interaction and trust, if continued, can provide the groundwork for solving many of the country’s problems.
The importance of this change in approach is precisely demonstrated by the fact that it has been carried out in coordination with various pillars of the system, including the leadership.
It is precisely for this reason that attention should be paid to the medical professionals’ statements about complete coordination with leadership. The value of these developments lies in the fact that these changes are also approved by various institutions of the system. This change in approach will lead to an increase in the social capital of the political system because some social and political groups who felt excluded from the country’s political equations now see themselves as part of the structure. This will help in repairing the social capital of the political system.
When social groups feel recognized in the country’s political structure, they will become more cooperative and supportive of the decisions made by this political structure.
What was previously observed by medical professionals within the framework of purification was a continuous effort to eliminate and expel various social and political groups.
However, a new approach is now being observed that seeks to integrate these groups instead of eliminating and expelling them, a move that will benefit everyone.
Of course, it should not be hidden that there are still various social and political groups that feel they do not have a place in official relations and their views and positions are not heard. It should not be assumed that the integration process has ended but rather it has just begun.
The fact that the previous elimination process has turned into a process of integrating political, social, women, and Sunni groups signifies the beginning of a new chapter in Iranian politics. This new chapter is also evident in online data. Analyzing Twitter data after the parliament’s vote of confidence in the medical cabinet indicates a significant shift in political dynamics, where reformists are aligned with moderate forces and reformists, ranging from critical and progressive reformists to conservatives and moderate fundamentalists, have come together.
Of course, these new conditions have their own coordinates that need to be further understood. Basically, it cannot be definitively stated whether these new conditions are temporary or will continue, as there are multiple factors that influence their halt or continuity.
The question of why this new policy has now begun, why Rouhani’s government, especially his second term, was unsuccessful in pursuing this policy and reducing conflicts, and how this approach can continue, requires extensive discussions that need to be addressed among political and social groups.
Continuation of this approach requires constructive interaction among all parties, striving to solve problems and create consensus not only in the government and political system but also in civil society, parties, and social groups.
Persian
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