List of political parties in Iran

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Political parties in Iran lists political parties in Iran. Iran is a state with regular presidential and parliamentary elections. The system as a whole is presently a republic based on Islamist fundamentalists. A limited number of opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.

Contents

[edit] Parties inside Iran

It is difficult to get a clear view on Iranian political parties. There are no "opposition parties" in Iran as all must make commitment to absolute rule by the Supreme Leader.[citation needed]

[edit] Conservative Alliance:

  • Islamic Coalition Party : secretary-general Habibollah Asgarowladi
  • Association of Islamic Revolution Loyalists : secretary-general Hasan Ghaffuri-Fard
  • Moderation and Development Party : secretary-general Mohammad Baqer Nowbakht
  • Iranian Nation's Welfare Party : secretary-general Khalil Ali Mohammadzadeh


[edit] Reformist Coalition:

[edit] Main Parties
Main article: 2nd of Khordad Movement
  • National Confidence Party : secretary-general Mehdi Karrubi (outgoing majlis speaker)
  • Society of Forces Following the Line of the Imam : secretary-general Hadi Khamenei (supreme leader's brother)
  • Organisation of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution : secretary-general Mohammad Salamati
  • Islamic Labour Party : secretary-general Abolqasem Sarhadizadeh, outgoing deputy for Tehran
  • Workers' House : secretary-general Alireza Mahjub, outgoing deputy for Tehran
  • Islamic Iran Solidarity Party : secretary-general Ebrahim Asgharzadeh

[edit] Dissident Groups

There are a few non-allowed groups like the Freedom Movement Party of Ebrahim Yazdi and the National Religious Forces of Ezatollah Sahabi. These groups, although non tolerated, are not opposed to the Velayate Motlaqe Faqih system.[citation needed] That's why they are allowed to stay in Iran.[citation needed] They are religious, believe in Political Islam, but are close to the dissident Grand Ayatollah Montazeri.[citation needed]

[edit] Opposition parties active in exile :

GENERALITY


There are roughly 40 "parties" outside Iran which can be divided into 5 ideological branches :

- the Communists

- the Social-Democrats

- the Muslim-Democrats (Conservatives)

- the Republican Nationalists (Center-Left or Center-Right)

- the Monarchist Nationalists (Liberal-Democrats)


In fact a lot of Iranians do not know the majority of these 40 exiled political parties. The parties known by all Iranians are People's Mujahedin of Iran, the Monarchists (falsely believed to be one party), the National Front (known in Iran as the Mossadeghists), the Fadayan-e Khalq and the Tudeh Party (today an agonizing party but still considered by many to be the "true" and most powerful Communist Party). For example, few Iranians are aware of the existence of the Hekmatist Party although the latter is well active outside Iran, and much more dynamic than the Tudeh. Only 5 parties out of the 40 could be considered powerful, in order :

- the People's Mujahedin of Iran of Maryam Rajavi, (Conservative)

- the Constitutionalist Party of Iran of Reza Pahlavi, (Democrat-Liberal)

- the United Republicans of Iran, (Social-Democratic) linked with the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority), (Socialist)

- the National Front of Iran of Parviz Varjavand, (Center-Left)

- the Hekmatist Party of Koorosh Modaressi, (Communist).


There are important exiled individuals with no party who are also important : Ali Afshari, Amir Abbas Fakhravar, Ahmad Batebi or Manuchehr Mohammadi from the student segment, Mohsen Sazegara, a founder of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Ramin Jahanbegloo, Abdolkarim Soroush or Daryush Shayegan, influential secular and religious intellectuals, Roya Tolouee, a woman activist, Akbar Ganji, the well-known political activist, Abbas Amir-Entezam, the longest political prisoner of Iran (27 years), Simin Behbahani, one of the most prominent figures in modern Persian literature, Abolhassan Banisadr, the first president of Iran… Even among the clerics based inside and outside Iran, there are numerous radical dissidents but some are more prominent, for example : Hossein Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi, Ayatollah Mehdi Haeri Khorshidi (exiled in Germany) or Hojjatoleslam Ezimi Qedimi, etc.


The rest of the Opposition is insignificant, for example the "Labor Party", or the "Green Party", or the "Liberal Democratic Party", etc, are more very little associations than political parties and are all insignificant in the political arena of Iran. But five of them are of some importance :

- The Tudeh Party , which was important party in the past, exists in a very anemic state.

- The Pan-Iranist Party has always been a dynamic but too small party.

- The National Movement of Iranian Resistance (NAMIR) of Shahpour Bakhtiar and the DPIK of Abdul Rahman Qasimlo, although prominent parties in the past, have almost been destroyed with the killings of their charismatic leaders by the Islamic Republic. The NAMIR has ceased its activities, whereas the DPIK struggles to expand its activities. Recently, in December 2006, this party has split into two groups : the DPIK and the DPIK (Ararat).

- The new Marze Por Gohar Party is still too small, too localized and unknown inside Iran.



THE ISSUE OF COMING TOGETHER


A lot of parties tried to unite in the past and failed. Very few succeeded like the National Council of Resistance of Iran and the Workers Left Unity - Iran but they were (and are) only a union of two parties : the conservative People's Mujahedin of Iran and the marxist Organization of Iranian People Fadaee Guerillas for the first one and the Iranian fedaian communist league and the Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) for the latter.

Some Communists (the Tudeh Party for example), the Social-democrats (above all the United Republicans), the Republican Nationalists (for instance the National Front) and the Monarchist Nationalists (among them, the Constitutionalist Party) are discussing how to come together.


But :

1) Many Communists (for instance the Rahe Kargar [[1]] or the Worker-communist party) are opposed to cooperating with non-communist parties.

2) The main challenge comes from the Monarchists, for leftist or some pro-republican parties are reticent to form an alliance with them.

3) Few are also opposed to dialogue with the Mujahedin (although this is a less controversial issue compared to the Monarchists).


Because of that, western journalists and Iran experts have repeatedly said that the Opposition is ineffective, discredited and inflexible.

However there are news that since September 2005 some of these exiled parties who used to be very divided (even among groups of similar philosophies) have begun to unite.


Since 2003 the pro-republican (mostly leftist) activists did what no others had done in the past : they created the United Republicans of Iran, a federation of pro-republican parties : [[2]]. To know more about it : [[3]]

But more importantly, a huge gathering of all important Iranian parties and activists (including the monarchists and rightist parties like the Pan-Iranist Party) called "Neshaste Landan" took place in London for the first time in June 2006.

Before, some discussions had been held in Paris (Neshaste Paris) and later in Berlin (Neshaste Berlin). Since that time, cooperation and dialogue between them has accelerated. For the first time, a Republican (the spokesman of the National Front of Iran) Parviz Varjavand wrote in an article in August 2006 [[4]] that Democracy is compatible with both a Constitutional Monarchy and a Republic and that the issue should not between Constitutional Monarchy and Republic. The Green Party of Iran led by Kayvan Koboli said the same thing months before Parviz Varjavand : [[5]]. Recently, Heshmat Raeisi, ex-member of the Central Committee of both the Fedai and the Tudeh Party [[6]], participated in the sixth Congress of the Constitutionalist Party of Iran in November 2006 and gave a speech : [[7]]

This "Neshaste Landan" has been considered "historical" in the history of the Iranian Opposition by all political tendencies and has a special and daily updated website : http://neshastelondon.info

But it hasn't produced any results until now. And the name of all the parties which took part in this gathering is not known (it seems the Mujahedin didn't participate in this gathering : [[8]]). So far, they managed to choose a nine-member council charged with organizing a large congress within the next months to discuss and try to put in place an Administration that will take over in the event the Islamic Republic vanish.


Here are the names and the programs of all known Iranian political parties based in exile (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, and sometimes Turkey, Iraq, Dubai, Israel) :


1) the Communists (16)

There are 16 Iranian communist parties. However only three out of them could be considered active, namely the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority), the Hekmatist Party and the Komala. The Union of People's Fedaian of Iran or Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) are also dynamic organizations.


---> The well-known Communist Party which used to be very powerful. No longer very active.

http://www.tudehpartyiran.org/


---> The two splits of the communists who follow the teachings of Mansour Hekmat :

http://www.wpiran.org

http://www.hekmatist.com


---> The 7 splits of the Fadaian Party :

http://www.fadai.org/

http://www.fadaian-minority.org/

http://www.siahkal.com/

http://www.iran-nabard.com/

  • Union of People's Fedaian of Iran with Pirouz Navidi and Ahmad Azad

http://www.etehadefedaian.org/

  • Iranian fedaian communist league

http://fedayi.org/

  • Organization of Revolutionary Workers of Iran (Rahe Kargar) led by Mohammad-Reza Shalgooni

http://www.rahekargar.net/


---> And the others :

http://www.cpiran.org/

  • Komalah led by Ebrahim Alizadeh. It is, according to them, the "kurdish section" of the Communist Party of Iran. In fact the Komalah and the Communist Party of Iran are the same.

http://www.komalah.org

  • Komala, a seperated fraction of Komalah, is led by Secretary General Abdollah Mohtadi.

http://www.komala.org

http://www.sarbedaran.org/

  • Toufan (Labor Party of Iran supporting Enver Hoxha's communism).

http://www.toufan.org/

  • Toilers Party of Iran (Hezbe Ranjbarane Iran)

http://www.ranjbaran.org/

  • Socialist Party of Iran of Mansour Bayatzadeh

http://www.jonbesh-iran.com/



2) The Social-Democrats (5)

Only the United Republicans of Iran (URI) could be considered as active. It should be noted that the URI is not really a party but a federation of three parties, namely the Democratic People's Party of Iran of Babak Amirkhosravi (a separated fraction of the Tudeh party), the Iranian National Republicans of Hassan Shariatmadari, son of the late Grand Ayatollah Kazem Shariatmadari, and the Organization of Iranian People's Fedaian (Majority). The Democratic People's Party of Iran has ceased to exist and was absorbed by the URI, the Iranian National Republicans (http://www.iran-jommelli.com/) exists by name but all its activities is done with the URI, but the OIPF-M continues its activities inside and also outside the URI. [[9]].


  • United Republicans of Iran

http://www.jomhouri.com/

  • Organization of Iranian Socialists very close to the nationalist National Front of Iran

http://www.ois-iran.com/

http://www.iran-e-sabz.org/

  • Social Democratic Party of Iran led by Jalal Madani/Khosro Shakeri.

http://www.spiran.com/

  • Democrat Party of Iran led by Kaveh Shirzad.

http://www.irandp.org



3) The Muslim-Democrats (Conservatives) (1)

Neither secular nor islamist, whereas they claim to be secular. They are against the application of the Sharia but at the same time oppose everything opposed to the main principles of Islam. Note : they believe in the equality between men and women. Recently opposed terrorism. Used to have an "army" in Iraq. Considered to be the best organized opposition group of Iran.

http://www.mojahedin.org/



4) The Republican Nationalists (8)

Among them, the National Front is the most active. The Republican Nationalists have many contacts inside Iran and can be divided between two factions : the historical "Mossadeghists" and the new-born Liberals.


> The "Mossadeghists", united in an organization called "Melliun" [[10]]. They have the particularity of being the only opposition parties to be openly present in Iran (with the Pan-Iranist Party):

http://www.jebhemelli.net/ or http://www.jebhemelli.org/ or http://www.jebhe.org/

  • Iran Party led by Amir Bakhtiar (dead?)

http://www.melliun.org/hezbeir02.htm or http://www.hezbeiran.persianblog.com/

http://www.melliun.org/hezbemel02.htm or https://hezbemellateiran.com/

> The Liberals : (they were created after the 1979 Revolution and thus were not present during the Mossadegh era)

  • Iranian National Secular Party led by Aryo Pirouznia (the newest Iranian political party in exile) [[11]]

???

  • Democratic and Secular Republicans of Iran

http://www.sedaye-ma.org/

http://www.marzeporgohar.org

  • Liberal Democratic Party of Iran

http://www.iranliberal.com/ linked with http://www.liberaldemocrat-ir.net/

  • Azadegan led by Assad Homayoun

http://www.azadeganiran.com/



5) The Monarchist Nationalists (6)

Only the Constitutionalist Party of Iran is active. Except the Pan-Iranist Party, all the others are considered to be almost dead. Reza Cyrus Pahlavi II is accepted as the Emperor (Shahanshah) of Persia : http://www.rezapahlavi.org


http://irancpi.net/

  • Constitutional Movement of Iran-Front Line led by Mehrdad Khonsari

http://www.cmi-fl.com/

  • Flag of Freedom Organization of Iran led by Manouchehr Ganji. Known in his persian name : Derafshe Kaviyani

http://www.derafsh.org/

  • Iranian Motherland Party (Mihan Party) led by Amir Sepehr

http://www.hezbemihan.org/

http://www.paniranist.org/ or http://www.paniranism.org/ or http://www.paniranist.com/

  • National Movement of Iranian Resistance used to be very active before the assassination of Shahpour Bakhtiar and his Secretary Soroush Katibeh. Ali Shahandeh is one of the most visible personalities of this party. This Party is a member of the "Melliun".

http://www.melliun.org/nehzatm.htm or http://www.namir.info/


6) Kurdish Parties

http://www.pdki.org/

http://www.pjak.com/

[edit] See also

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