Majority Wants Political Change, Even With Foreign Intervention

From SMCCDI: daneshjoo.org

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Majority Wants Political Change, Even With Foreign Intervention
By William Samii
Jun 30, 2003

A recent poll conducted by the Expediency Council examined the demands of the Iranian people, "Yas-i No" newspaper reported on 22 June. A reported 45 percent of the respondents wanted changes in the political system, even if this came about through foreign intervention.

Some 26 percent wanted managerial changes in order to improve the system's performance and bring about efficient growth. About 16 percent of the respondents wanted political reform and more power for reformists, while 13 percent of the respondents wanted the current political policies to continue and favored resolution of problems relating to people's livelihood. "Yas-i No" did not describe the format of the poll, where it was conducted, or the number of respondents.

"Yas-i No" asked why the Expediency Council could conduct a poll that has such controversial findings, while other institutions are punished. Although not spelled out, this is a clear reference to the September poll conducted by the Ayandeh Research Institute and the Islamic Culture and Guidance Ministry's National Institute for Research Studies and Opinion Polls, which found that 74.7 percent of Tehran residents favor negotiations with the United States, and 64.5 percent favored the resumption of Iran-U.S. talks.