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Deviant current
Term from Iranian politics

The "deviant current" or "current of deviation" is a term used by Iranian officials (e.g. high-ranking clerics, Revolutionary Guards commanders) and conservative rivals of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to describe Ahmadinejad's entourage, which functions like a faction or party. Ahmadinejad had some tendency toward Iranian nationalism that deviated from the clerics' theocratic rule, hence top clerics labeled the faction associated with him as "deviant current".

The term was coined in 2011, after an open conflict between Ahmadinejad and the Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

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People

People who have been described as associated with the "deviant current" include:

Ideology

The faction is described as "nationalist conservative" by Stratfor;28 also described as "neo-conservative nationalists" by Pejman Abdolmohammadi, assistant professor in Middle Eastern studies at University of Trento and Giampiero Cama, professor of comparative politics at University of Genova.29 According to Bernd Kaussler, assistant professor of political science at James Madison University, their ideology is a combination of millenarian, nationalist, populist and the principlist rhetoric.30 The tendency tries to nationalize Shiite Islamism, and advocates an “Iranian School of Islam” that seems antagonistic toward the Velayat Faqih, an idea that formed the basis of the current establishment in Iran.31 Ahmadinejad and his associates have regularly used the word "spring" and the phrase "Long live the spring" as a slogan, which is believed to have connotations for the Arab Spring, although Ahmadinejad claims it refers to the reappearance of Imam Mahdi.32

Organization

See also: Coalition of the Pleasant Scent of Servitude, Monotheism and Justice Front, Supporters of Justice Discourse of Islamic Revolution, and YEKTA Front

A group is active under the acronym HOMA (standing for Havadarn-e Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Persian, meaning "Supporters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad") and published an online newspaper with the same name. The public relations team organizes various websites, including Dolat-e Bahar (lit. 'Government of Spring'), Rais Jomhur-e ma (lit. 'Our President') and Meydan-e Haftadodo (lit. 'Square 72', named after the neighborhood Ahmadinejad lives in) among others. They maintain online activity elsewhere, running many blogs and social media accounts.3334

Electoral performance

2012

Monotheism and Justice Front, a group that endorsed a list of candidates for 2012 parliamentary elections is reportedly linked to Mashaei.35 The results showed a major defeat for them in the elections,36 and they only won 9 seats, according to Deutsche Welle.37

2013

In a Medvedev/Putin-style scenario, Mashaei ran for president in 2013 presidential election backed by Ahmadinejad, who said "Mashaei means Ahmadinejad and Ahmadinejad means Mashaei".38 He was disqualified by the Guardian Council.

2013 local elections were the next defeat. The faction were unable to secure a seat in Tehran City Council and even Parvin, Ahmadinejad's sister was unseated.39

2017

In 2017 presidential election, Ahmdinejad who backed Hamid Baghaei, registered as a candidate along with him,40 but both were disqualified.41

2020

Candidates associated with the circle ran on a list for 2020 parliamentary elections, although Ahmadinejad himself did not support any specific list.42 Middle East Research and Information Project stated that they won 14 seats in the first round of elections.43

References

  1. Elling, Ramus Christian (2012). "Matters of Authenticity". In Nabavi, Negin (ed.). Iran: From Theocracy to the Green Movement. Springer. p. 94. ISBN 9780230114692. 9780230114692 ↩

  2. Elling, Ramus Christian (2012). "Matters of Authenticity". In Nabavi, Negin (ed.). Iran: From Theocracy to the Green Movement. Springer. p. 94. ISBN 9780230114692. 9780230114692 ↩

  3. Golnaz Esfandiari (19 May 2011), "Decoding Iran's Official Political Glossary", Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.rferl.org/a/a_quick_guide_to_the_coded_jargon_of_irans_conservative_establishment/24179510.html ↩

  4. "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: the deviant president", The Guardian (Editorial), 20 September 2011, retrieved 15 August 2017, This year, if Ahmadinejad represents any faction in Iran it is one that has been branded "a deviant current". https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/20/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-deviant-president-editorial ↩

  5. Abdollah Almasi (29 April 2013), "Ahmadinejad's Plans for the Presidential Election", Iran's View, retrieved 15 August 2017, The Government's critics believe that Esfandiar Rahim Mashaee who is the head of a party, which they label as "Deviant Current". http://www.iransview.com/ahmadinejads-plans-for-the-presidential-election/458/ ↩

  6. Torbat, Akbar E. (2020). Politics of Oil and Nuclear Technology in Iran. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 258–259. ISBN 978-3-030-33765-0. 978-3-030-33765-0 ↩

  7. Alem, Yasmin (2016). "Electoral Politics, Power, and Prospects for Reform". In Brumberg, Daniel; Farhi, Farideh (eds.). Power and Change in Iran: Politics of Contention and Conciliation. Indiana Series in Middle East Studies. Indiana University Press. p. 177. ISBN 9780253020796. 9780253020796 ↩

  8. Ehteshami, Anoushiravan (2017). "Politics of the Islamic Republic". Iran: Stuck in Transition. The Contemporary Middle East. Taylor & Francis. p. 90. ISBN 9781351985451. 9781351985451 ↩

  9. Oliver Borszik (November 2014), "Papers International Sanctions against Iran under President Ahmadinejad: Explaining Regime Persistence" (PDF), GIGA Working Papers (260), Hamburg: German Institute of Global and Area Studies, archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-12, retrieved 2017-08-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20150512221806/http://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/system/files/publications/wp260_borszik.pdf ↩

  10. Oliver Borszik (November 2014), "Papers International Sanctions against Iran under President Ahmadinejad: Explaining Regime Persistence" (PDF), GIGA Working Papers (260), Hamburg: German Institute of Global and Area Studies, archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-12, retrieved 2017-08-22 https://web.archive.org/web/20150512221806/http://www.giga-hamburg.de/en/system/files/publications/wp260_borszik.pdf ↩

  11. Bernd Kaussler (January 2012), "Is the End Nigh for the Islamic Republic?", Current Trends in Islamist Ideology (13), Washington, D.C.: 69–90 https://hudson.org/research/9809-is-the-end-nigh-for-the-islamic-republic- ↩

  12. "Mohammad Reza Rahimi: The story behind the current Iranian President's First Deputy", Iranian Diplomacy, 27 August 2012, retrieved 17 August 2017 http://www.irdiplomacy.ir/en/page/1906034/Mohammad+Reza+Rahimi.html ↩

  13. "Ahmadinejad minister announces run for presidency", Radio Zamaneh, 31 March 2013, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://en.radiozamaneh.com/articles/ahmadinejad-minister-announces-run-for-presidency/ ↩

  14. Hooman Majd (5 October 2012), "The Great Debate: Is it Ahmadinejad's last hurrah?", Reuters, archived from the original on 5 October 2012, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20121005025950/http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2012/10/04/is-it-ahmadinejads-last-hurrah/ ↩

  15. Saeed Kamali Dehghan (23 June 2011), "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ally arrested in Iran on corruption charges", The Guardian, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/23/iran-ahmadinejad-ally-corruption-arrest ↩

  16. Scott Lucas (24 June 2011), "The Latest from Iran (24 June): The Net Closes on Ahmadinejad's Men....Continued", Enduring America, retrieved 15 August 2017 http://www.enduringamerica.com/home/2011/6/24/the-latest-from-iran-24-june-the-net-closes-on-ahmadinejads.html ↩

  17. Marcus George (26 September 2012), Stephen Powell (ed.), "Ahmadinejad's aide in prison as Iran president addresses U.N.", Reuters, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-arrest-idUSBRE88P1IB20120926 ↩

  18. Marcus George (4 June 2014), Stephen Powell (ed.), "Is Ahmadinejad plotting a comeback?", Al-Monitor, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/06/ahmadinejad-comeback-president-iran-elections.html ↩

  19. Marcus George (17 November 2017), Stephen Powell (ed.), "Ahmadinejad Returns With Vengeance", Iran Wire, retrieved 15 April 2018 https://iranwire.com/en/features/4980 ↩

  20. "Ahmadinejad faces threat to presidency in clash with Khamenei", Radio France Internationale, 7 October 2012, retrieved 15 August 2017 http://en.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20110507-ahmadinejad-faces-threat-presidency-clash-khamenei ↩

  21. Saeed Kamali Dehghan (23 June 2011), "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ally arrested in Iran on corruption charges", The Guardian, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/23/iran-ahmadinejad-ally-corruption-arrest ↩

  22. Saeed Kamali Dehghan (23 June 2011), "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ally arrested in Iran on corruption charges", The Guardian, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/23/iran-ahmadinejad-ally-corruption-arrest ↩

  23. Marcus George (4 June 2014), Stephen Powell (ed.), "Is Ahmadinejad plotting a comeback?", Al-Monitor, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/06/ahmadinejad-comeback-president-iran-elections.html ↩

  24. "Ahmadinejad faces threat to presidency in clash with Khamenei", Radio France Internationale, 7 October 2012, retrieved 15 August 2017 http://en.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20110507-ahmadinejad-faces-threat-presidency-clash-khamenei ↩

  25. "Ahmadinejad warns establishment against extending arrests to cabinet", Radio Zamaneh, 29 June 2012, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://en.radiozamaneh.com/articles/ahmadinejad-warns-establishment-against-extending-arrests-to-cabinet/ ↩

  26. "Ahmadinejad warns establishment against extending arrests to cabinet", Radio Zamaneh, 29 June 2012, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://en.radiozamaneh.com/articles/ahmadinejad-warns-establishment-against-extending-arrests-to-cabinet/ ↩

  27. "Iran: A conflict over authority, or a dispute over responsibilities?" (PDF), Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies (Assessment Report), Doha, May 2011[permanent dead link‍] http://english.dohainstitute.org/file/get/86a146ac-b2ea-41f3-92e1-b51c2cd7ddfb.pdf ↩

  28. "Iran: Implications of Ahmadinejad's Parliamentary Defeat", Stratfor (Assessment), 5 May 2012, retrieved 2 July 2017 https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/iran-implications-ahmadinejads-parliamentary-defeat ↩

  29. Abdolmohammadi, Pejman; Cama, Giampiero (2020). Contemporary Domestic and Foreign Policies of Iran. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 137–138. ISBN 978-3-030-45335-0. 978-3-030-45335-0 ↩

  30. Bernd Kaussler (January 2012), "Is the End Nigh for the Islamic Republic?", Current Trends in Islamist Ideology (13), Washington, D.C.: 69–90 https://hudson.org/research/9809-is-the-end-nigh-for-the-islamic-republic- ↩

  31. Bernd Kaussler (January 2012), "Is the End Nigh for the Islamic Republic?", Current Trends in Islamist Ideology (13), Washington, D.C.: 69–90 https://hudson.org/research/9809-is-the-end-nigh-for-the-islamic-republic- ↩

  32. Saeed Kamali Dehghan (13 March 2013), "Ahmadinejad's new pet phrase 'spring' infuriates Iranian establishment", The Guardian, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/13/ahmadinejad-spring-infuriates-iranian-establishment ↩

  33. Arash Azizi (5 November 2014), "Is Ahmadinejad making a comeback?", Al-Monitor, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/11/iran-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-mashai-election.html ↩

  34. Meir Javedanfar (20 April 2014), "Ahmadinejad's return may be boost for Rouhani", Al-Monitor, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/iran-ahmadinejad-return-politics.html ↩

  35. Abdol Moghset Bani Kamal (2013), "The ninth Majlis elections in Iran: Electoral laws, procedures and institutions", Intellectual Discourse, 21 (1), International Islamic University of Malaysia: 71–86, ISSN 0128-4878 http://journals.iium.edu.my/intdiscourse/index.php/islam/article/download/507/453 ↩

  36. "Iran: Implications of Ahmadinejad's Parliamentary Defeat", Stratfor (Assessment), 5 May 2012, retrieved 2 July 2017 https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/iran-implications-ahmadinejads-parliamentary-defeat ↩

  37. "The Great Disappointments in the Ninth Majlis", Deutsche Welle (in Persian), 3 March 2012, retrieved 15 August 2017 http://p.dw.com/p/14EaN ↩

  38. Saeed Kamali Dehghan (11 May 2013), "Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to stand in Iran presidential election", The Guardian, retrieved 15 August 2017 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/11/rafsanjani-stand-iran-presidential-election ↩

  39. "Reformists return to power in Iran's local elections". Asharq Al Awsat. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103239/http://english.aawsat.com/2013/06/article55306487 ↩

  40. "Ahmadinejad formally endorses protege for president", Tehran Times, 21 March 2017, retrieved 15 August 2017 http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/412109/ ↩

  41. "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 'disqualified' from Iran elections". Al Jazeera. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-disqualified-iran-elections-170420190716061.html ↩

  42. "Iran Parliamentary Election Explained: who is Competing, why Does it Matter?". Radio Zamaneh. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020. https://en.radiozamaneh.com/30240/ ↩

  43. Abedini, Vahid; Armin, Razieh (5 March 2020), "The Making of a "Resistance Parliament" in Iran and the Challenges Ahead", Middle East Report Online, retrieved 5 March 2020 https://merip.org/2020/03/the-making-of-a-resistance-parliament-in-iran-and-the-challenges-ahead-coronavirus/ ↩