Rojhilat parties boycott elections in Iran

by Roni Alasor

Brussels, May 2017 - Middle East Diplomatic (MED) - Six Kurdish political parties from Rojhilat/East Kurdistan (Iran) call for boycott the upcoming Iranian Mullahs undemocratic presidential and local elections which will take place on 19 May 2017.  Kurdish parties do believe that the so-called elections will only prolong the existence of oppressive regime in Iran. But the free and Democratic Society of East Kurdistan (KODAR), which also includes Kurdistan Free Life Party PJAK, call to the Iranian mullahs regime to implement democratic reforms in the country.

Among the parties calling for boycott are: Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, Komala (population) of the Kurdistan Toilers, Kurdish branch of the Communist Party of Iran Komala, Democratic Party of Kurdistan, Organization of Iranian Kurdistan Struggle and the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.

The Kurdish parties representatives made the following joint statement: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is going to hold the presidential elections and the Cities and Villages Councils elections on May 19. These so-called elections are not able to be called free elections based on the todays’ standards. In a situation that the political opposition parties have been forbidden, expressing free opinion is criminalized, the Kurdistan’s people do not have any national and humanitarian right, these co-called elections mean depriving the people from their self-determination right and is considered as one of the causes of prolonging the existence of Islamic Republic and the arbitrary and oppressive regime in Iran”.

Earlier in a press conference, Ibrahim Alizadeh, secretary general of Komala, the Kurdish communist party in Iran, commented on the boycott call: “We all argued that this so-called election is happening in very undemocratic conditions. We can in no way call this free election. Hence, it is better for the people of Kurdistan not to participate in the show which takes place on May 19. This was the opinion of all parties.”

On the occasion of the upcoming presidential and local elections in Iran, the free and democratic society of East Kurdistan (KODAR) issued a roadmap for democratization of Iran. The 11-points declaration calls the Iranian government to do constitutional reforms to insure open political space, equal rights for all citizens, ethnic, social groups and genders, administrative decentralization and recognition of Kurdish rights and rights of all other minorities in Iran. Below is the text of KODAR declaration:

1- Clear Announcement in order to provide prompt Ù€ necessary transition from the current military, security environment to the political open space.

2- Clear Announcement for talking about changing and modification of constitutional law, because we believe the key for changing current political chaos is through the constitutional law.

3- Clear Announcement for clearing extrajudicial and legal obstacles facing the activity of political parties and civic groups, in the same framework, recognition of the right to the freedom of every citizen and social group in holding gatherings and civil disobedience and demonstrations.

4- Cancel all and any, regulations, legal article notes that the legitimacy of oppression and discrimination against women.

5- Prompt commitment, dedication and presentation of specific projects for the administrative decentralization and in the field of macro-management, recognize the right of indigenous management levels of political, cultural, economic and educational.

6- The recognition of youth involvement in all administrative areas, especially in the establishment and management of institutions and organizations that dedicated to young people.

7- There is a Kurdish question of admission and enrolment and other nations in Iran optimise approach in order to remedy this issue and recognizing the indigenous governing in all corners of Iran territorial geography.

8-  The announcement of the project and take practical steps in order to "teach the most basic levels of the native language to the highest educational level for all Iranian Nations ranging from enrolment, Azeri, Arab, Turkmen, Balooch, Kurd and other cultural communities.

9- An end to all the destructive environment projects, especially the indiscriminate building of the dams.

10- Cancellations of projects and program that are not combine with the benefit of majority and the recognition of the right to manage and the production of native units by community and economic institutions that are related.

11 Ù€ Unconditional release of all political prisoners and the removal of the inhuman death penalty.