In Iran, the supreme leader controlled the Mosques and the army and there were no free, legitimateparties, no real chance for the people to vote for an alternative, no chance to organize and start an uprising. The parties were a sham that government put together.
Because the government ended up with a split over this election, the people now have a leader as well as their organization .
In a week, things could be very different. Many people see Mohdavi as just another government figurehead.
Remember, billionaire Ayatollah Rafsanjani, who was Khomenei's student, just like the supreme leader, is the reason that Mohdavi could stand up as he has done. Rafsanjani is much more liberal, but also known as corrupt, but all of them are corrupt. Rafsanjani is more friendly to the US and would have been more likely to normalize relations with the US.
By the way, Obama, when in Cairo, handled Iran perfectly, appealing to all of the population. Interestingly, in Iran they pronounce his name as Oo Ba Ma, which in Farsi means, "he is with us." The full phrase they use is "Oo Ba Ma, Ma Ba Oo," which means he is with us and we are with him.
In Iran, there is no free media. But in Los Angeles there are about 20 TV stations broadcasting Iranian television to Iran.
The difference between 1979 and now is the people in Iran have so many more technologies-- cell phones, twitter, facebooks, text messaging (though the government has attempted to block texting,) ability to send images by phone cameras...
Now things are moving so fast, anything can happen. Someone in exile may come in as a leader. The government may collapse.
Today, Iran is the least religious country in the Middle East, with the most religious government. The contrast is the fuel of the revolution.
This revolution is too powerful, the hatred of the government, people are so angry at what the clergy has done that it cannot be stopped. It cannot be oppressed at this point.
Follow #iranelection on twitter.com for latest updates.
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