Iranian opposition says people must determine government content

Mehdi Karroubi

Iranian opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi says that people’s will must take precedence over everything in any government.

In response to public questions on the internet, Karroubi said: “People must decide whether they want a religious or non-religious government and they must be allowed to choose their own form of government.”

He insisted that the current Iranian government lacks both religious and republic content, and added that “the republic aspect of the government must take precedence and people’s will must be accepted.”

He urged people to support the current constitution but stated that in an independent and free milieu, the constitution can be constructively altered.

Karroubi emphasized that in the current situation, hampering on the defects of the constitution only wastes the energy of the opposition.

He contended that the current constitution has the potentiality of addressing the demands of a large portion of the Iranian opposition.

The disputing candidate of Iran’s 2009 presidential elections stressed that the current constitution is being violated in its most basic aspect which is “respecting people’s rights and adherence to their will.”

He insisted that “a serious parliament and a healthy judicial system” would not allow the “the executive branch to say it will not carry out the law and our children would not be crying out against injustice in prison and go on hunger strikes and be tortured.”

Karroubi refers to recent disputes between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the parliament over execution of a number of laws and also the recent hunger strike of political prisoners over being mistreated by prison guards.

Mehdi Karroubi also announced that he is involved in making preparations for his participation in the Qods Day demonstration.

The Islamic Republic marks an anti-Israel day on the last Friday of the Islamic month of Ramadan.

Last year, on Qods Day protesters took to the streets and supplemented the usual activities of the day with their protest chants.

The Islamic Republic has accused the opposition of having seditious objectives over these expressions of protest.

The opposition in turn has repeatedly denied the allegations and said that it demands reform within the Islamic Republic framework.