Iran's First Female President: Not Gonna Happen

This year, for the first time in the over 30 year history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the government announced that there would be no objection to women standing for President.

It seemed like a notable improvement on a policy that had previously stated that women "lacked the intellectual capacity and understanding to stand."

Nearly 500 Iranians registered to be considered as presidential candidates - 42 of them were women.

Today, the results of the candidate vetting process were announced: as with each election in Iran, the Guardian Council vetted out a great majority of the candidates. In the end, only four men have gotten the go-ahead to campaign for president: incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, former Speaker of Parliament Mehdi Karroubi and former military commander (and wanted Interpol suspect) Mohsen Rezai.

Not one woman made it through -- apparently not a single one had the integrity or ability to stand up to the high caliber of the four male candidates who were chosen. Interpol, schminterpol.

As many observers expected, the Guardian Council's announcement was just a gimmick: not a single woman has been given the chance even to campaign for the country's highest elected office.

A close look at what exactly the Guardian Council is, might explain why. It is a powerful body comprised of 12 Islamic jurists and theologians (necessarily male): six appointed by the Supreme Jurist Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and six appointed by the Parliament from among a limited number of jurists approved by a man who was appointed by - you guessed it -- the Supreme Jurist.

To reiterate, 12 men, either directly or indirectly appointed by one man, have the massive responsibility of acting as what is essentially a first-round election run-off.

The Iranian public doesn't whittle down the choices for president, the Guardian Council does.

What's left is a tiny group of establishment male candidates who despite all appearances have no intention of seeking significant progress.

In a society where approximately 70% of the university population is female and the female vote has noticeably impacted major elections for years, the election vetting process is a sad comment on the true condition of Iran's girls and women: second-class citizens.

As if to glide over this glaring omission, much is being made in the domestic and international press of a woman who could become Iran's First Lady: reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi's wife, Dr. Zahra Rahnavard. She'll stand up for women's rights, say the papers and the blogs. She'll help change the laws to ensure their equality, so she says herself.

As former Chancellor of Al Zahra University in Tehran - the country's only all-female university - she carries some clout. As a charming campaign trail colleague to a husband who by most accounts lacks charisma, she is noticeable. But as First Lady, she'd have as much power to change the laws as her husband would: zero.

So why did the Guardian Council make an announcement that women could get a chance at the presidency? It made them look good -- at least till the vetting came to an end. It also gave them a lead on the growing chatter among the vetted candidates -- especially reformist candidates Mehdi Karroubi and Mousavi -- about the important role women play in Iranian elections.

There is, in fact, a concerted effort amongst the candidates to not only address women voters but to say that the needs and rights of women must be met in the next presidency. Dr. Rahnavard even picked up on the tone of much of the women's rights movement: that Iranian laws need to be changed to reflect equality for girls and women.

But it's hard to concede that all that talk might not just be rhetoric. What can be expected of candidates who were vetted by a Council who misled the public into thinking it cared about women's rights? What can be expected of a government that has bundled its female population into forced hejab?

Not very much, that's what.

Like the Guardian Council and its attempt to revamp its image, the women's rights platforms of this year's approved candidates might just be another artifice for making things look nicer than they are.

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Comments

[escribacat]

How interesting that 70% of the university population is female -- seems like the guys better watch out or the women will be running the country without them realizing it..

[IDIOTA]

Well, this kind of limitation happens all of the time, even here in America where someone as committed as, say, Ralph Nader, is denied the right to debate the issues with Democratic or Republican candidates, themselves the products of whittling by oligarchic parties. It's a scam the world over and deplorable.

[Khirad]

Well, little steps. When Rafat Bayat, who denies inequality is snubbed because of it...

How about being able to watch a game in Azadi Stadium first?

I must say this all went predictably; very anticlimactic.

[mtrue]

Shirin
Very interesting and perceptive commentary. While I agree that all people should have equal access to political opportunity, I also believe that this change must come primarily from within. We on the outside should offer our opinions, but must stay out of the internal workings of foreign governments. I will happen in time that women will truly gain access and political standing in Iran -- just as it has taken time in the old US of A. 1920 was the first presidential election in which women were allowed to vote and we have had only a handful of women actually seek the office in the Republican and Democratic parties and none have actually been selected as the candidate for a major political party. It takes many years and patience to win these battles as prejudice and bias are very deeply rooted in the culture of all countries.

[wereeverywhere]

Free Maryam Malek (and jail every IRI official above the rank of dog catcher). Iranian feminists face jail, travel restrictions, and prison lashings.

From Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE13/043/2009/en/cc369c60-37f1-440c-b2c8-dde454689dc1/mde130432009en.html

Maryam Malek is likely to face trial in the future, as she has been charged under vaguely-worded provisions, including Article 499 (“propaganda against the system”) and Article 500 (“membership of an organization aimed at harming national security”) of the Penal Code. Such charges fall short of internationally recognisable criminal offences but were made in connection with her membership of and activities for the Campaign for Equality, which is also known as the One Million Signatures campaign.

...The Campaign for Equality, also known as the One Million Signatures Campaign, launched in 2006, is a grassroots initiative composed of a network of people committed to ending discrimination against women in Iranian law.

[Mike59]

When Islamists took over Iran 1979, they expelled all female judges. Their logic: women are too weak to be judges. They won't let them to be President either. "The Supreme Leader, the Deputy Of hidden Imam on Earth, the exalted leader of the revolution" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, requires a man to be his side kick (President), he also doesn't believe women should be allowed to choose their dress code, they are forced to wear hejab, NO QUESTION ASKED, NO DEBATE ALLOWED.

[IDIOTA]

Just an aside. I believe that the root for "Imam" translates to "mother" -- very confusing.­..

[natturnerx]

(this is just too darn easy) uh, there's never been an american female president, ma'am.

[Rog49Thomas]

Yes, you are correct.

But ...

There have been female candidates for president who stood in elections.

[Baghooli]

It's just matter of time before these yuppie highly educated Iranians become old enough to be persons with power and position in governing branches of Iranian society, you'll see Utopian Iran which first generation revolutionaries couldn't implement it but passed on the dream to the next generation with higher education advantages.
Personally, having grownup with older sisters without a benefit of having younger one than me, maybe it's not such a good idea to have sister president, but that's just me:D

[Garvagh]

Is a woman going to become prime minister of Japan in the near future? I don't think so. But who is worrying about Japanese women being "second class citizens"?

[norkas]

It does not matter because the leadership of Iran will not stop making a nuclear bomb.These are dangerous times and because they will continue enriching unranium no matter what anyone says this will only end with sever airstrikes.

I voted to Barak Obama and proudly support him because he is not nieve about Iran. Sadly the ending will be bad that there is no chice and the only solutuion will be a stike and the leadership of Iran cares only about there dangerous goals not about there future of there people.

Yes this is a very sad time but we are lucky Obama will talk with np pre conditions with Iran before naking a sad final move that has to be done.

[wereeverywhere]

When the Japanese government tells its women what makeup and clothes they can wear your red herring will be more effective. Long live the feminists in IRI who are smart and brave enough to fight the systematic repression.

[Wozzeck]

The success rate for males to be a candidate was approximately 4/500, or .008. The success rate for females was 0.000. Does this prove gender discrimination?

[Scent]

I am sorry, but there is a VERY sour note behind comments like these. And that is the implied superiority of the US. Not because the US is good, but because they paint everyone they want to sell us as an enemy bad.

Itan is bad? But let us forget who is responsible for the desaster Iran has become. And that is the US. The US planted one of the most vile dictators fo the last century into power in Iran. They made him the sixth best armed man on the planet. They made him ruin the lives of iranians and kill everthing in sight. When Iran rebelled and got itself a madman for a leader, the US screeched like a Portsmouth fishwife how terrible that man was. Then they put the next dictator (Saddam) in power and armed him with the same chemical weapons they didn´t find later - because he used them on Iran and his own people - at the order of the US.

No question about it: Ahmadinejad is as mad as a hippo with the runs. BUT if the same people who made that country put him in power then stand and brag about how good they are - by telling us how bad HE is.

We have to take a step back from the hate and fear someone wants to give us and try to see what really happened. It´s not hard to see. In fact You have to close wour eyes NOT to

[Garvagh]

Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, seeks stability in the Middle East with minimum justice for the Palestinians. Is this such a terrible position to have? The Israel lobby tries to portray him as a "threat" to Israel and even to Jews in general, but this is quite absurd.

[norkas]

I am a Democrat and will tell you Ahmadinejad is dangerous and will enrich uranium and build a bomd or sell it to the highes bidder.

You are nieve and not well read at all your logi is a fairy tale. Have someone kick you in the nuts and then may be you will see your frind is a mad man and dangerous to America as well as the world.

[carrieanna]

Iran will probably have a female president before the United States.

[Aziat]

Iranian Female Presidents: 0
Israeli Female Presidents: 1

[Khirad]

Actually there's never been a female Israeli president. Golda Meir was actually Prime Minister though.

[Hass]

Pakistani female prime ministers: 1

So what's your point?

[fishX2]

It is not Iran bashing to want to have women in Iran be equal to men. Iranian women have always been politically active as far back as 2500 years ago. Women were a big part of the constitutioinal revolution and they continue to be the largest grassroots advocates of change in Iran. It should be acknowledged the islamic revolution has allowed women from the lower classes and religious classes to become more educated, ONLY because these groups were against sending their daughters through non-islamic educational systems.

[fbr79]

It would be very convinient, she could send anyone to any function she didn't feel like attending. No one would ever know.