The spokesperson of the Reform Front: People do not consider the system to be unreformable
Ali Shakouri Rad, the spokesperson of the Reform Front of Iran and the former Secretary-General of the Union of Nation Party, told Fararu that the large number of protesters in the streets of Iran have come to believe that the Islamic Republic system is not reformable, and this belief is spreading among the people.
He said that in the recent protests, the belief that the system is unreformable has become a conviction among the protesters, whereas until recently, the situation was not like this. In May 2017, when people participated in the elections in large numbers and the participation rate was high, it meant that people still hoped this system could be reformed.
In the events of December 2017, a number of students chanted the slogan ‘Reformist, principlist, the story is over,’ which implied that reforms were useless. At that time, this slogan was very limited, but currently, and especially since the 2021 elections, when the government officially did not seek to increase people’s participation in the elections, resulting in reduced participation and a unified government, people have concluded that the system is not reformable. The distinguishing feature of the recent protests is the widespread belief in the unreformability of the system in society.
Shakouri Rad said that the governmental reform movement that started in June 1997 has failed, and this lack of reform achievements has led people to neither favor the reformists nor consider reforms as a way out of the deadlock. The reformist movement that began in 1997 and in several elections where people voted for it and repeated their demands has not resulted in significant achievements. What answer do we have for the reformist base and the people now? Should we tell them to continue on the same path, promising that we will have achievements tomorrow? We believe it, but they no longer believe us. Therefore, the reformists have effectively been sidelined.