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Reformers and Independents Won Votes to Association of Iranian Journalists

Dana Shahsavari
09 Aug 2006

The elections at the third general assembly of Association of Iranian Journalists (the only overall Iranian syndicate of journalism) were held at Hosseinieh Ershad in Tehran and a new management was brought in. Through these elections, a group of new independent and reformist journalists got into the association leadership.
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The elections at the third general assembly of Association of Iranian Journalists (the only overall Iranian syndicate of journalism) were held at Hosseinieh Ershad in Tehran and a new management was brought in. Through these elections, a group of new independent and reformist journalists got into the association leadership.
467 individuals has singed up as candidates for management posts of the association out of which Badr al-Saddat Mofidi, Ahmad Zeidabadi, Mashaallah Shamsolvaezin, Karim Arghandpour, Rajabali Mazrui, Abolhassan Mokhtabad and Arash Hassan-nia were elected as the principal officers of the board of directors. Following the elections, Fars news agency that is affiliated to Iran’s judiciary, published a report about the elections at the “Association of Muslim Journalists” (affiliated to the hardliners), indicating its unhappiness with Association of Iranian Journalists.
Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to the presidency last year, many changes have taken place inside Iran’s government, including in the world of journalism. Many conservatists have taken key jobs at the media, which has amounted to taking over the news outlets. But Association of Iranian Journalists continued to prepare for its elections. With a membership of some 3,500 journalists, it failed to meet a quorum twice in the past until last week. According to its bye laws, at the third calling, the meeting becomes official regardless of how many individuals are present, which is what happened last week. This is the reason why Mehr News agency has questioned on an opinion of the legality of the meeting and consequently its elections. The ministry of labor officially had announced before that there was no ban on holding elections after two attempts when a quorum was not reached. On this issue, Rajabali Mazrui, the president of Association of Iranian Journalists wrote, “This association undertakes to do what it has been doing for the past 8 years and has no legal bars on this.”
Elections to this professional organization take place once every three years. This is the first organization that was created during the reform years of Mohammad Khatami, who personally inaugurated the group in 1997. It has been recognized internationally by professional organizations, such as IFJ, the ILO, and the UN, as the only press association in Iran. During its entire life, reformists and independent journalists have received the largest number of votes to elect its officers. But unlike previous years, this year hardliners have been trying hard to change this picture and those of other professional associations.
So it appears that he Ministry of Labor of Iran now has no choice but to recognize the new members of the guild. Officials of the guild have said that if they run into problems they are going to the Administrative Court. By rejecting the results of the recent elections of journalists, the ministry of labor now faces many other organizations which have a similar fate as that of Association of Iranian Journalists.