Ahmadinejad Should Look Down and Depart

Speaking with Rooz about the fate of outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ahmad Bakhshayesh a principlist member of the parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee said “Ahmadinejad’s period was over.”

Bakhshayesh made an interesting comment about Mir-House Mousavi, under house arrest since 2011 when he said, “Had Mousavi remained quiet 4 years ago he would have certainly been the president today instead of Hassan Rowhani.”

Reads on for the excerpts of the interview.

Rooz: What is your evaluation of the victory of Hassan Rowhani and the defeat of the principlists?

Bakhshayesh: I see five reasons why people voted for Mr. Rowhani. The first is that people generally vote for the other faction after or every 8 years, something we have been witnessing. The second are the misapprehensions of the principlists. They were under the belief that people are committed to them and would vote for them under any circumstances. Which is why they opted to debate and compete within themselves rather than with the opposing faction. The third are the events and discussions that took place four years ago. Those events have remained in people’s minds and they suspect that perhaps their votes were disregarded or not counted. The last issue is Mr. Rafsanjani’s disqualification which in a way turned him into a hero. Ahmadinejad’s negative resistance after Mashai was disqualified also played a role. Before the disqualification, he took Mashai everywhere he went and invited people to vote. After Mashai was removed, he chose to remain silent and take on a sort of negative resistance. Even on voting he chose to go to the polls at five in the evening rather than early morning.

Rooz: During the last eight years and particularly the last four, the administration’s economic, domestic and international policies brought the country to the brink of crisis. People have been put under harsh pressures, especially in the economic realm. Their turning away from principlists is the consequence of these policies not their weariness. Don’t you think so?

Bakhshayesh: I do, but there are two interpretations on this. One is what you described. Let me be more blunt. You are saying Mr. Ahmadinejad’s domestic, economic and foreign policies resulted in Mr. Rowhani’s victory. I say Mr. Ahmadinejad is part of the principlists and they did not agree with him so he could perform better. Furthermore, the foreign exchange and economic policies of the country have gone downhill in the last seven to eight months only and prior to that he was very popular in the provinces.

Rooz: So you do not believe in the defeat of the principlists?

Bakhshayesh: It is a defeat but it is not a serious one. Principlists have become divided. They thought they will play this game among themselves. Jalili for example, for whom I voted, is a moderate person. I know him from college days when we shared a room. When he began to campaign he showed a warring image of himself and his goal was to win over the votes of radical principlists.

Rooz: One of the demands of those who voted for Rowhani is the lifting of the house arrest of Mr. Mousavi and Mr. Karoubi and Mrs. Rahnavard. This was visible in the street events where calls for the release of political prisoners were also been heard in people’s celebrations. What do you think of that?

Bakhshayesh: I don’t think so. People want better economic conditions. There is inflation and the issue of unemployment. They also have political demands on the side, just as they have made calls for freedom. People who win also celebrate and this is their celebration. Their festivities were sincere.

Rooz: Do you believe that lifting the house arrest and releasing the political prisoners is a good act?

Bakhshayesh: It should not happen immediately. Mr. Rowhani must first take his post. There is the supreme leader, the Majlis and a government must be first formed. Our immediate problem is not the situation with Mousavi and Karoubi or the political prisoners. It is the economic situation. He has said that the issue of Karoubi and Mousavi is solvable. Political prisoners too will be naturally released in the new atmosphere but a little time is needed.

Rooz: Has Mr. Ahmadinejad been summoned to court by Mr. Larijani or the Majlis?

Bakhshayesh: I do not know, but today I learned it was because of the ministry of sports which Mr. Ahmadinejad was obliged to create within three months but has refrained. Majlis’s Article 90 committee had created a complaint on this requiring that Mr. Ahmadinejad appear in a criminal court on November 26. In reality the State Administrative Court must investigate this. Mr. Larijani too has filed a separate complaint whose details I do not know. I think the case will be withdrawn because the administration has ended as has Mr. Ahmadinejad’s presidency. The goal is to reduce tensions and Ahmadinejad knows this as well.