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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/opinion/moderates-under-pressure-in-iran.html?_r=0
Moderates Under Pressure in Iran
(New York Times) Editorial - Next month's elections in Iran do not bode well for Iranians eager for more political and social freedoms. Even before any ballots are cast, the death-to-America hard-liners are stacking the deck against moderates, disqualifying thousands of moderate would-be candidates. Not even the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic in 1979, could pass muster. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has warned against relaxing Iran's anti-Western stance, voiced strong support for the vetting process and said the reformers could not hope to have any real influence in the immediate future. President Rouhani is a creature of Iran's establishment, not a revolutionary. But he responded by saying that Parliament must "belong to all people and reflect the realities of the nation" and added, "If one faction is represented in the elections and another is not, then why are we holding elections?"