Iran's democracy appears to be in name only

I once read that when leaders of developing countries come to Japan to study its election system, they often asked the same startling question. When they are given an explanation about how ballot boxes are collected from polling stations and carried to vote-counting stations to tally the votes, foreign leaders ask: "Don't you get attacked on the way?" This tidbit comes from the writings of Mitsuru Uchida (1930-2007), who was a Waseda University professor of politics.

A century ago, elections in Japan were not held in the safe environment that exists in this country today. Back then, The Asahi Shimbun ran a story about a clash between two opposing parties fighting over a ballot box. The melee left one person dead and two seriously injured.

How well a vote count is handled is as much a barometer of democracy as the vote itself.

Even when an election is held, if the ballots are tampered with, the evidence of the will of the people becomes worthless scraps of paper.

Iran is in turmoil over the counting of votes in its recent presidential election, which ended in a landslide victory being declared for incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The opposition says the results are "unjust." The resulting violence has led to deaths.

The country is facing its greatest crisis since the Islamic Revolution of 30 years ago.

Iran had been regarded as one of the rare Middle Eastern countries with a "certain level" of democracy.

But even that "certain level" is apparently in danger. The Ahmadinejad administration is infatuated with nuclear and missile development programs. If this government becomes a dictatorship, world peace will face an additional threat.

Keiko Kishi, an actress, has written about a visit she made to Iran in the 1980s. She said she felt driven to go there because she was interested in its "incomprehensible and eerie nature and stubbornness to remain isolated as a country, which might be misunderstood by the rest of the world."

Perhaps, a similar impression is still held by many Japanese about that country today.

Is there any democracy in this proud nation, once called Persia? Iranian authorities say they might count the votes again, but no re-balloting will take place. With that attitude, Iran could become even more isolated.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 18(IHT/Asahi: June 19,2009)