The uprising of 2009 has placed a cloud over the Iranian elections this year. This is due in large part to the reality that there is an undercurrent to Iranian society as they express displeasure with the ruling regime.

Uprising a Fear of Iranian Regime as Elections Draw Near

The second televised presidential debate started with a warning to the candidates. The Friday prayers’ leader in Tehran, who usually reflects the supreme leader’s messages, said: “The debates should be on presidential issues…. But we must avoid acts that rattle society.”

There is a belief through government circles that the audacious debate in 2009 was the spark of that year’s uprising.

The debate that held on Friday followed the warning, but what the candidates were allowed to say focused on shaming the other candidates about their previous records within the regime. One jab was at the current education minister, whose daughter was caught importing clothes illegally.

images (1)Bagher Ghalibaf
In respond to a question on education, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, said: “Last week, police found out that education minister’s daughter imported tons of Italian clothes and stored them in her house…This while her parents sent their daughters to school in turns, so that they can each use their one set of clothes and shoes.”