Earlier, Mehdi Karoubi, the pro-reform speaker of Iran's parliament, defended taking part in the parliamentary elections, which reformists say have been effectively rigged.
He admitted that the upcoming vote will be unfair because of mass disqualifications. But he said the "freeness" of the vote is a matter of debate, as people are free to vote if they want to, or not.
Some reformist parties are boycotting the election after the hard-line Guardians Council blacklisted some 2,500 candidates -- most of them reformists -- from standing in the poll.
He admitted that the upcoming vote will be unfair because of mass disqualifications. But he said the "freeness" of the vote is a matter of debate, as people are free to vote if they want to, or not.
Some reformist parties are boycotting the election after the hard-line Guardians Council blacklisted some 2,500 candidates -- most of them reformists -- from standing in the poll.
!["It will take two to three election cycles...for people to see that Kyiv doesn't solve all their problems [like before]," one analyst says, "and that they must take ownership of their own communities themselves."](https://gdb.rferl.org/57CFAB0C-23DD-427B-8FCD-FED1B2229C1F_w100_r1.jpg)
!["It will take two to three election cycles...for people to see that Kyiv doesn't solve all their problems [like before]," one analyst says, "and that they must take ownership of their own communities themselves."](https://gdb.rferl.org/57CFAB0C-23DD-427B-8FCD-FED1B2229C1F_w33_r1.jpg)
