Elections don't make a democracy, as Freedom House explains:
The constitution drafted by [Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini's disciples provided for a president and parliament elected through universal adult suffrage, but an unelected clerical body, the Council of Guardians, was empowered to approve electoral candidates and certify that the decisions of elected officials were in accord with Sharia (Islamic law). Khomeini was named supreme leader and invested with control over the security and intelligence services, armed forces, and judiciary.
Key fact: Candidates have to be approved by Council of Guardians. An Irshad Manji-type doesn't have a prayer under any god to run for parliament there.
The supreme leader, who is elected by the Assembly of Experts, who in turn are chosen by the aforementioned Council Guardians, can void any law passed by the parliament as un-Islamic.
It's a lazy-susan form oligarchy.
Supporters of Mousavi appear to be behind scattered violence in Tehran, and the government (remember, this is not a democracy) has shut off cell phone service in major cities--rural Iran is Mad Mahmoud's powerbase.
However, despite the limitations imposed by the various Iranian panels, elections in Iran are believed to be clean.
Perhaps this one will prove to be the exception. But until the lazy-susan is smashed, civil disobedience seems to be the only way smash that circle.
But as the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal noted yesterday, our president doesn't seem to get it, "President Barack Obama said Iran's 'robust debate' leading up to Friday's presidential elections is evidence that change is possible," the Associated Press reports.
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