Iran Isn't a Democracy & Rouhani Isn't a Reformist

One of my pet peeves is how the mainstream media treats Iran as if it were a genuine democracy as evidenced by coverage of Iranian "election" which is now underway. From The Washington Post:


In the balance was Iran’s international outreach — as well as its national identity as a state either moving toward more social and political openness or turning inward to assuage Iranians troubled by reforms and economic stagnation.


Also at stake was the legacy of the incumbent president, Hassan Rouhani, who ended more than a decade of U.N. sanctions as part of a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, including the United States.


His top challenger is hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi, who views the West with suspicion and insists that the easing of sanctions under the nuclear pact has done little to help ordinary Iranians. Two other candidates remained in the race but were considered also-rans. If no one wins more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff would be held in a week between the two leading candidates.

Iran’s top authorities — the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his circle of ruling clerics — have so far stood behind the nuclear accord that calls for limiting Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Any possible changes to the pact would likely take time to evolve.


Later in the article it is acknowledged that the Guardian Council, which reports directly to the Ayatollah, determines who gets to run and who doesn't. There are few things in life which annoy me more than when I hear current Iranian President Hassan Rouhani characterized as a reformist. I was annoyed when 60 Minutes did it, I was annoyed when the Obama Administration did it and I was annoyed again earlier in the month when I heard former State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns do the same. If Rouhani was a genuine reformist do you honestly think the Guardian Council would have permitted him to run? I don't think the families of those held in Iran's notorious Evin prison would regard Rouhani as a reformist.


Iran might have elections, but they aren't free and fair. Let's stop pretending they are.