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Election Turnout Tantamount to Referendum, Says Outspoken Iranian Dissident

Election Turnout Tantamount to Referendum, Says Outspoken Iranian Dissident
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Election Turnout Tantamount to Referendum, Says Outspoken Iranian Dissident

Election Turnout Tantamount to Referendum, Says Outspoken Iranian Dissident

Fa'ezeh Hashemi, a well-known Iranian political activist, said that the country's presidential election on Friday was tantamount to a referendum since more than half of the eligible voters refused to go to the ballots. She advised the Islamic Republic officials to take heed of the people's grievances and demands that were expressed in a "civic fashion."

In an Instagram interview with Camelia Entekhabifard, the Independent's Persian editor-in chief, a few hours after the exit polls were announced, Hashemi called the campaign to boycott the elections by groups of Iranians inside and outside the country "successful."

'A Referendum'

Hashemi, who is the daughter of the late Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, one of the high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic, said: "We must continue to voice our demands and protests and never step back. This effort has yielded results, and it can be so henceforth."

She casted doubt on the official election results citing her own observations throughout the capital. "Voting stations were deserted until late afternoon, but suddenly it was said that people rushed to the stations, which does not sound reasonable."

The Meaning of Void Ballots

Hashemi, a former member of Iran's parliament (Majles), added that many people casted blank or void ballots because their favored candidates had been disqualified, as well as out of fear that they might be considered "counter-revolutionaries."

"It is meaningful that the number of void ballots ranked second to that of the winning candidate, and the establishment must take this token of protest seriously."

Foreign Policy, Regional Ties

Hashemi expressed hope that Iran's top officials learn a lesson from the turnout and replace the existing aggressive foreign policy with "appropriate, constructive, and friendly interaction" with the world.
She added that the powerful conservatives prolonged the process of the nuclear talks to get credit for the possible economic benefits resulting from the removal of US sanctions against Tehran.

As to Iran's relations with regional nations, particularly Saudi Arabia, Hashemi stressed that talks initiated between Tehran and Riyadh should be pursued by the incoming government of Ebrahim Raisi.

"I don't believe that starting talks with Saudi Arabia was exclusively initiated by the government of [outgoing President Hassan Rouhani], which could not have done so without the green light from [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei or the Revolutionary Guards Corps. Therefore, I find it likely that the talks will continue, and Iran will move towards reviving its ties with Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia."

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Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
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Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says he wants to build a state that has the decision of war and peace and stressed he is committed to implementing Security Council Resolution 1701.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, his first since his election in January, Aoun said: “Our objective is to build the state, so nothing is difficult. And if we want to talk about the concept of sovereignty, its concept is to place the decisions of war and peace in the hands of the state, and to monopolize or restrict weapons to the state.”

“When will it be achieved? Surely, the circumstances will allow it,” he told the newspaper.

Asked whether the state will be able to impose control over all Lebanese territories with its own forces and without any military or security partnership, he said: "It is no longer allowed for anyone other than the state to fulfill its national duty in protecting the land and the people ... When there is an aggression against the Lebanese state, the state makes the decision, and it determines how to mobilize forces to defend the country."

He also stressed his full commitment to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. “The state and all its institutions are committed to implementing the Resolution” on the “entire Lebanese territories,” Aoun said.

On the possible adoption of a defense strategy, Aoun insisted that even if a state does not have enemies on its borders, it should agree on a national security strategy that not only deals with military goals but also economic and fiscal objectives.

“We are tired of war,” he said in response to a question. “We hope to end military conflicts and resolve our problems through diplomatic efforts,” he said.

Asked whether he was surprised that the Israeli army has stayed at five points in south Lebanon, Aoun said that Israel should have committed to the ceasefire agreement that was sponsored by the US and France and should have withdrawn from all areas it had entered during the war with Hezbollah.

“We are in contact with France and the US to pressure Israel to withdraw from the five points because they don’t have any military value,” he said.

“With the emergence of technologies, drones and satellites,” an army does not need a hill for surveillance, Aoun added.

"Saudi Arabia has become a gateway for the region and for the whole world. It has become a platform for global peace,” he said when asked why he has chosen to visit the Kingdom on his first official trip abroad.

“I hope and expect from Saudi Arabia, especially Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that we correct the relationship for the benefit of both countries and remove all the obstacles ... so that we can build economic and natural relations between us.”

He said that during his visit he plans to ask Saudi Arabia to revive a grant of military aid to Lebanon.

On relations with the Syrian authorities, Aoun said he intends to have friendly ties the new Syrian administration and that one of the pressing issues is to resolve the problem of the porous border between the two countries.

“There are problems on the border (with Syria) with smugglers. Most importantly, the land and sea border with Syria should be demarcated,” he said.

Aoun also called for resolving the problem of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “The Syrian state cannot give up on 2 million citizens who have been displaced to Lebanon.”

The refugees should return because “the Syrian war ended and the regime that was persecuting them collapsed,” he said.