Iranian Elections

Are the Basij going to be out in force?

Evan Hill | June 19, 2009 3:22 PM | 0 | recommend (0) |   |      

New York Times reporter Neil MacFarquhar, who may or may not be surreptitiously reporting from inside Iran, wrote earlier that the basiji were expected to march today on the Expediency Council. I haven't found out if the march actually occurred, but MacFarquhar interprets the move as a declaration by the basiji that they plan to assert themselves more strongly in the coming days.

The Expediency Council is headed by former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, or at least it was until recently. There have been a lot of reports that Rafsanjani resigned his position. Does anyone know if that's been confirmed?

Rafsanjani has dropped out of sight since the elections, but is still thought to be helping the opposition coordinate.

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Categories: Iran, Iranian Elections (2009), Politics, Regional News

Tags: Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Basij, Expediency Council, Neil MacFarquhar

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