An article in Tehran media says even if the nationwide protests had not occurred, the government of President Ebrahim Raisi would have faced serious problems.
The article by journalist Davoud Heshmati in Shargh said Raisi was too optimistic toward the loose coalition among conservative groups that formed his government and took over the parliament. In fact, popular protests may have delayed the activation of fault-lines within the government and preserved its unity. “The coalition was too fragile,” Heshmati wrote.
“Despite the delay, in its emergence, the political deadlock is quite visible. The government is incapable of making decisions and this makes next year’s developments interesting,” he said.
According to the author, “the Iranian society is alive, but Iranian politics is in coma.” The Iranian society is anything but “indifferent.” Everyone thought the youth were apolitical, but they managed to create a great movement in the streets even without a leadership and organization. What brought them together was the demands for freedom in choosing their lifestyle.
The protests that erupted last September after the death of a young woman in police custody over her ‘inadequate hijab’, was led by teenagers and young people, especially women.
Another issue Heshmati pointed out was that the Iranians had already lost hope in elections after former president Hassan Rouhani refused to or was unable to address the issue of democracy and representation and instead dedicated his efforts to resolving the nuclear issue with the West, only to be blocked by hardliners.
Source : Iran International
