Message on the occasion of the deceptive elections of the Islamic Republic in April 1979
On the occasion of the 47th anniversary of the continuation of this ideologically driven rule, Iranian society once again faces a fundamental question: Did the people of Iran consciously and freely choose and endorse this dictatorial system? Or was it instead the product of collective deception, lack of awareness, and complex, unclear circumstances – rather than a rational, informed and deliberate decision?
From the very beginning the term “Islamic Republic” contained an inherent contradiction. The word “republic” implies the will of the people, civic participation, and democratic principles, whereas the qualifier “Islamic” in this context points to the absolute rule of a predefined ideology — a worldview that imposes rigid, largely unquestionable standards on society, the individual and ways of life. For this reason, the “Islamic Republic” was marked from the outset by a structural incompatibility.
The events of April 1979 further illustrate this problem: the process lacked transparency and took place in an atmosphere of fear, without independent oversight. At a time when the number of eligible voters was approximately 18 million – and undoubtedly not all participated – it was nevertheless claimed that more than 20 million people had cast their votes. This discrepancy alone can be seen as a clear indication of the invalidity and manipulation of the announced results. The published results therefore primarily served propagandistic purposes. They were intended to create the impression of broad public support, despite lacking any verifiable basis.
The emotionally charged dynamics of those events (1978/79) were driven less by political awareness or rational deliberation and more by collective sentiment, as well as by the influence of segments of the so-called intellectual class, many of whom did not fully grasp the political and ideological consequences of these developments. In such an environment, the foundation was laid for the establishment of a system that quickly revealed itself to be corrupt and exposed its true nature.
This attitude is also reflected in statements attributed to Khomeini, such as: “The people are not what matters to us; what matters is the Islamic community.”
Over the past 47 years, this barbaric regime, rather than safeguarding human, national, and cultural values as well as the right to free choice, has repeatedly sacrificed them to the ideology of “political Islam,” while cultivating a climate of chronic fear as a means of preserving its power. Among its central instruments have been the enforcement of rigid social and religious norms, the deprivation of individual rights and freedoms, the weakening of women’s status, the erosion of social trust, the promotion of division and hostility, and the gradual transformation of the country into a security- and authority-driven system.
Moreover, a significant portion of nation´s wealth and resources has been directed toward sustaining and expanding a political ideology and pursuing destructive projects – aims that have not served the prosperity, freedom or development of Iran, but have instead contributed to poverty, emigration, repression, and the erosion of country´s social foundations. Deception and manipulation have been consistently employed as tools to stage controlled electoral processes. Concepts such as democracy, majority will, and pluralism have been misused and reduced to political theater, in which citizens have repeatedly been forced to choose between predetermined options – not between genuine alternatives, but between the bad and the worse.
What stands in the way of Iranian society today is the legacy of these deceptive, and ideologically driven promises of the past: a system that has not only violated freedom and human dignity and entrenched the absolute authority of religious theocrats, but has also plundered and severely damaged the material, cultural, and intellectual capital of a nation.
We place our hope in collective reason, compassion, and national solidarity. We trust that Iranian society, in the near future can establish a secular political system – through a free referendum, a conscious and rational choice, and through adherence to democratic principles as articulated by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi – a system grounded in ethical and humanistic values.
Yours sincerely
Patriotic Doctors of Iran (PDI)