IRNA:council-elections-tajzadeh

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council-elections-tajzadeh
tajzadeh: rural/urban councils a political melting-pot
tehran, feb. 28, irna -- deputy interior minister for social and
political affairs and head of the ministry's election headquarters
mostafa tajzadeh said here sunday, ''the success of rural/urban
islamic council elections is a triumph for the islamic sovereign state
and that of the government of president hojjatoleslam seyyed mohammad
khatami.''
''the rural and urban council elections is the turning point in
the history of the twenty years of the islamic revolution and that the
individuals voted into office are politically melting-pot of the
nation,'' highlighted tajzadeh.
''this historical event is not only an elimination of the
monopolized political system but also assayed as a 'giant leap
forward' in the realization of the much delayed canons of the
constitution,'' deduced the deputy interior minister.
''decentralization in its true sense involves the dispersion of
functions, distribution of power and delegation of the government's
executive power to the councillors in dealing with day-to-day
affairs,'' he pointed out.
in addition it assures the practice of legitimate rights of people
in their participation in decision-making according to the
constitution that would lead to rule of law and the ideals of civil
society, as a major objective of president khatami's government, he
further added.
''from the outcome of the current elections, we see the emergence
of different political leanings, thoughts and perceptions,'' observed
the head of the election headquarters.
''one of the other most outstanding aspects of this election has
been the active participation of women and their voted into councils
and in some instances the council elections returns show a
predominantly women composition,'' remarked the deputy minister.
another prominent feature of this historical polling has been the
voting in of the educated, competent and experienced figures and
erstwhile government echelons as the rural and urban councilors, he
noted.
the youth who make up more that half of the total iranian
population have also been at the forefront of the elections both as
voters and candidates. a large number of youth in the rural and urban
areas have been voted into office as an unprecedented phenomena, he
said.
''with their freshness, vigor and innovations, they would give the
councils a dynamic touch,'' he stated.
quoting the paramount leader of the islamic revolution and supreme
religious jurisprudent, grand ayatollah seyyed ali khamenei, he said,
''having held the rural/urban islamic council elections peacefully,
once again the islamic republic of iran has proved to the world and
the region with whatever systems of government they might be that the
islamic sovereign state was moving forward with unwavering
determination towards the materialization of the government of the
people in practice.''
the leader added that the divine rule and the government of the
people as a singular and inseparable entity is based on the teachings
of the holy qur'an.
the supreme religious jurisprudent finally said, ''rural and
urban council elections, which have received widespread publicity in
the world media once again is a source of honor, respect and dignity
for the nation.''
ah/dh
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::irna 01/03/99 00:04