Elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran : A source of democratic learning and moderation

Elections held under Iran’s ruling clergy have always been manipulated and have hardly been free and fair. A simple reference to Iran’s current political situation attests to the fact that these elections have not proven to be a force for democratization of the political system. However, this article suggests that the very existence of electoral procedures in the Islamic Republic effectively split the Islamists, giving their left-wing faction a new chance of survival in Iran’s political milieu. This by extension resulted in behavioural and ideological moderation, and in the formation of a new version of political Islam that accommodates democratic norms within an Islamic framework. Exploring the politico-religious transformation of Iran’s reformist Islamists, this article argues that the inclusion-moderation hypothesis could be effectively utilized to trace and explicate their politico-religious trajectory. Furthermore, the semi-competitive nature of elections in Iran has on more than one occasion generated uncertainty. Not only has this outcome taken the regime to the brink, but it has also opened up spaces in which citizens occasionally, if not permanently, entertain democratic learning. Based on interviews with 80 political activists in Iran, this article argues that the electoral politics has seeded democratic norms in the minds of the believers.3. opens in new tab.)