Eight weeks after the mullahs' Majlis elections, the power struggle among rival clerical factions is reaching unprecedented heights. The Guardian Council threatened yesterday in a statement that it would annul election results in more constituencies.

"Unfortunately, in this election there have been more infringements and illegal meddling than there ever were in the past, to the extent that many of those involved in the election and members of the public know," the Council said in its statement. It described the recent Majlis election as "the most problem-riddled election" compared with previous ones.

Among the fraudulent practices and cheating mentioned by the Guardian Council were "purchase of votes, intimidation and coercion of voters, bribes paid to voters, deception of illiterate voters by filling their ballots with one's own favored candidates, the use of ID cards of the deceased for voting, the use of forged IDs, and many other instances of rigging and cheating."

In another development, the mysterious appearance on the Internet of a front-page of Fat'h newspaper announcing the assassination of Mohammad Khatami has aroused a huge controversy within the ruling establishment, with the Khatami faction accusing its rival gang of "psychological preparations" for targeting Khatami himself.

Amid such confusion and infighting, the Guardian Council's statement casts a dark shadow over the fate of the February elections. The clerical regime in its entirety is mired in unprecedented crisis and anarchy.
 

Fake Report of Assassination of Khatami, Agence France Presse, April 10

TEHRAN - A false report that Mohammad Khatami had been assassinated was inserted onto the website of a pro-reform newspaper, apparently by a hacker, the press reported Monday.

The electronic edition of Fath carried an item for an hour April 5 saying "President Khatami has been the victim of an attack by two unidentified armed assailants," the press reported.

The phony page one also announced three days of national mourning and offered condolences from the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and the formation of a new interim government headed by Hashemi Rafsanjani.

The ersatz Fath page also announced the arrest of the head of the conservative Kayhan newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari, and ran a statement allegedly from Asr-e Azardegan chief editor Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, saying Khamenei must "be answerable to the people."
 

Iran's "Reformers" Dogged By Setbacks, The Washington Post, April 11

The victory by President Mohammed Khatami's reform-minded supporters in Iran's parliamentary elections two months ago has been followed by a series of candidate disqualifications, arrests and an assassination attempt against one of their main strategists…

Most haunting to reform supporters, however, was the attempted murder on March 12 of Saeed Hajjarian…
 

Ruling Is Setback For Khatami Faction, Reuters, April 11

TEHRAN - Iranian reformers have suffered another setback with a ruling banning parliamentary supervision of powerful official bodies including the armed forces and police that are outside Mohammad Khatami's control.

The controversial ruling approved this week in effect disqualifies the newly elected parliament, dominated by Khatami's allies, from launching any inquiry into state bodies supervised by Khamenei.
 

News Bites

Reuters, April 11: Editor Emadeddin Baqi was summoned to Iran's press court and indicted on multiple charges Tuesday, fellow journalists said.

The plaintiffs included Tehran's conservative justice chief, as well as the intelligence ministry and the state broadcasting organization.

The case against Baqi is the latest in a series of blows to the reform movement struggling against Iran's conservative establishment.

Azad daily, April 9: "The Guardian Council, by changing election results in some constituencies, seeks to create disorder in those areas and pave the way for intervention by the military and security forces in the administration of the country."

Asr-e Ma weekly, April 9: "The country's political atmosphere is reminiscent of the days prior to a military coup."

Sobh-e Emrouz daily, April 9: "In this turbulent political situation, the masterminds behind such issues as the political chain killings, the attack on Tehran University's hostels, and the attempt on Hajjarian's life may have placed at the top of their agenda the 'final liquidation' of the civil society movement through violent means."

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