How were the debates received outside Iran?
Candidates accuse each other, Iranians look for change and the world praises freedom of speech in Iran. Commentary by Hosein Adeli.
With five round of debates held between presidential candidates, the repercussions among foreign media and public opinion have been noticeable. Dr. Hosein Adeli, Deputy Foreign Minister on Economic Affairs in Khatami’s government and Iran’s former ambassador to London :
Televised debates of presidential candidates received various interpretations outside the country. The prevailing conclusion was that Iranian officials are disclosing other candidates’ blunder during their office, so it seems that Iran is plagued with serious problems.
Another striking point for foreign audience who follow the debates is that one of the candidates [Ahmadinejad] has crossed the red lines of Islamic Republic. The impression left is that Iran is such a lawless country where a person can easily accuse other people. That has received special attention since indicting other citizens is considered as violation of law in other countries and faces punishment. Individuals’ reputation is far more valued than their property.
On the repercussion of the debates outside Iran the third point is the praise for freedom of speech observed in the debates and campaigns. The chance to have such debates is the feature that distinguishes Iran from the region, though media and public opinion of other countries have not put caution aside when interpreting this freedom.
Fourth point: the media and public opinion of the world believe that the majority of Iranians are looking for a change in the status quo, but there is little chance for realization of their hopes. In fact, the dominant view outside Iran is that Iranians may fail to realize their intended change since they do not have the required power.
Of course this last point has been always repeated by the foreign media. Many outside Iran claim that people can not change the circumstances and realize their ideals, but we have seen that at times candidates who controlled governmental facilities and power and were assumed to win the elections failed to win the votes. Therefore, we can not make a predict the outcome of elections with certainty. The only thing we can do is to wait until 13 of June, the day after the elections.
Televised debates of presidential candidates received various interpretations outside the country. The prevailing conclusion was that Iranian officials are disclosing other candidates’ blunder during their office, so it seems that Iran is plagued with serious problems.
Another striking point for foreign audience who follow the debates is that one of the candidates [Ahmadinejad] has crossed the red lines of Islamic Republic. The impression left is that Iran is such a lawless country where a person can easily accuse other people. That has received special attention since indicting other citizens is considered as violation of law in other countries and faces punishment. Individuals’ reputation is far more valued than their property.
On the repercussion of the debates outside Iran the third point is the praise for freedom of speech observed in the debates and campaigns. The chance to have such debates is the feature that distinguishes Iran from the region, though media and public opinion of other countries have not put caution aside when interpreting this freedom.
Fourth point: the media and public opinion of the world believe that the majority of Iranians are looking for a change in the status quo, but there is little chance for realization of their hopes. In fact, the dominant view outside Iran is that Iranians may fail to realize their intended change since they do not have the required power.
Of course this last point has been always repeated by the foreign media. Many outside Iran claim that people can not change the circumstances and realize their ideals, but we have seen that at times candidates who controlled governmental facilities and power and were assumed to win the elections failed to win the votes. Therefore, we can not make a predict the outcome of elections with certainty. The only thing we can do is to wait until 13 of June, the day after the elections.