Opinion Parties in the street

Is his “thoughtless politics” going to costthe incumbent his post on June 12? Do Iranians understand his statements were less about the West vs Iran per se but actually because of Iran’s intense competition with Saudi Arabia? Not many. There are,though,the comparatively deprived,like my taxi driver who said: “Mousavi is a rich man while Ahmadinejad is like me,a struggler who has made it big in life.” A small section of the urban elite in Tehran may be unhappy with his defiance with the West but he is the darling of the rural masses who see him as a nationalist that flayed Western imperialism and restored Iran’s standing in the world.

His rivals have identified his weakness,and chosen its converse as their strength. They are promising a less confrontational stance to help end Iran’s global isolation. Even Ahmadinejad is doing some damage control by showing his willingness to meet US president Barack Obama. But the sincerity behind the intent remains suspect.

Though the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy revolves around America and any statements from the American side are keenly observed,there were surprisingly few reactions to Obama’s famous “New Beginning” speech given in Cairo recently — certainly none from the top Iranian leadership,even given the mid-campaign heat. But just a day before Obama’s speech,Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did say that the US was still “deeply hated” in the Middle East. Mohammad Marandi,who heads the department of North American studies at Tehran University,relates that sentiment to Palestine: “We should not hope for peace in the region till the Palestinian issue is resolved. Talking is not enough,this is the time to act for the US,” though he finds the tone significantly more positive compared to the previous US administration.

But,even if in the shadow of this mistrust,Obama seen as “not a bad guy” on the streets of Tehran.

“Goodbye Ahmadinejad! Goodbye old man! Let fresh air come in,” are jingles echoing in the streets. In Tehran’s posh northern district,an elderly woman leading a group of girls chanted “we want freedom,we do not want to wear this” holding her reluctantly-worn scarf.

In India,the election commission had to use tools like “Pappu” to make voting fashionable among its youth — but we still debate why posh colonies register the lowest turnout. Here in Tehran,streets come alive well past midnight with election jingles and slogans. The young do not just actively participate in the election process but celebrate it as well. Huge crowds of young men and women dancing and singing election jingles are a common sight on the streets. Rich young Iranian men and women in their best clothes,driving their snazzy cars and bikes,do not head to discos but to raise support for their favourite candidate. They block any road and start dancing to political songs; a group supporting a different candidate comes and competes with them.

Facebook is the other hot political space. A censorship drive by the Ahmadinejad government tried blocking Facebook and Twitter,but youngsters are hooked to them nevertheless. Facebook is the forum where cogent debates on Mousavi and Karoubi are being conducted. Support for Ahmadinejad is conspicuous by its absence.

Iran’s electoral history favours Ahmadinejad’s return; the incumbent has always returned to the highest office. But in a mere week we will know if the reformists can break that trend.