The Coordination Council sprang into being after Mir Hosein Mousavi and Mehdi
Karroubi, the two reformist candidates in the controversial presidential
elections of 2009, were put under house arrest last February and denied access
to the outside world.
Iranian reformists had been politically active on a platform of reforming the
system based on the Iranian Constitution. However, after the 2009 presidential
elections, the reformist candidates accused the state of rigging the ballot and
they refused to accept the legitimacy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory. The
allegations translated into mass demonstrations with millions of people
protesting the alleged vote fraud.
The establishment ignored demands for a recount and instead cracked down on
protesters, finally resorting to putting the two opposition leaders under house
arrest.
As the March parliamentary elections approach, the issue of participation has
become more critical. Mohammad Khatami, the former reformist president, said
today that running in the elections is "meaningless" for reformists because the
political arena remains closed to open political activity.
However, he stopped short of inviting the people to boycott the elections. Now
the Coordination Council for the Green Path of Hope has done just that, urging
Iranians to boycott the elections, adding that rather than opening the political
arena, the establishment has chosen to "intensify the atmosphere of repression."
The council indicates that it decided to call for a widespread boycott after
"extensive consultation" with various Green factions, reviewing the stances of
independent parties and groups, and taking into account the opinions of Mehdi
Karroubi and Mir Hosein Mousavi.
The
