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Editorial: Iran'€™s road to reform

The world has collectively sighed in relief on witnessing the change seeping into Iran following the surprise victory of reformist-backed presidential candidate Hasan Rohani, although some of Iran’s long-time foes — like Israel — have warned the international community against any wishful thinking about new developments unfolding in the Islamic republic

The Jakarta Post
Tue, June 18, 2013

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Editorial: Iran'€™s road to reform

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he world has collectively sighed in relief on witnessing the change seeping into Iran following the surprise victory of reformist-backed presidential candidate Hasan Rohani, although some of Iran'€™s long-time foes '€” like Israel '€” have warned the international community against any wishful thinking about new developments unfolding in the Islamic republic.

One of the reasons for the global society, including Indonesia, to be optimistic about a new face of Iran certainly is Rohani'€™s pledge to seek better relations abroad to try to ease international sanctions besetting the country'€™s economy and his promise to open the door to individual freedom.

The fact that Rohani won the presidential seat by landslide '€” 50.7 percent of the vote '€” is testament to the Iranian peoples'€™ wish for change after eight years under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who they say is responsible for economic crises and restriction of free speech.

Iran'€™s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini'€™s willingness to work with the new government will enable Rohani to deliver his pre-election promises for the good of Iran, as well as world peace.

Iran'€™s choice of reform is understandable, if somewhat unanticipated, given the brunt of economic sanctions its people have born in the forms of rising in food and fuel prices, unemployment and a devalued currency. Everywhere in the world, economic crisis plays a key role in reform apart along with bad governance, as happened in Indonesia in 1998 and the Arab Spring in 2010.

The reform path Iran will take will become clear when Rohani takes office in August. The people of Iran and the world will be looking forward to the new president'€™s balancing act as he works to reconcile populist and conservative demands.

Rohani, himself a cleric with unquestionable loyalty to Khameini, must be aware that the crux of oil dependant Iran'€™s economic doldrums is the country'€™s nuclear ambitions which the West sees as a threat to the world peace. Iran under outgoing President Ahmadinejad has defied UN Security Council resolutions that require the country suspend its uranium enrichment program, as well as undertake several confidence-building measures.

Iran bowing to international pressure over the nuclear issue is difficult to imagine, which is why Washington has responded cautiously to Rohani'€™s victory, but given his experience as a nuclear negotiator, who resigned after disagreement with Ahmadinejad in 2005, the signal of reconciliation is there.

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