„Traditionally in the Islamic Republic, elections are about allowing the public to vent some steam while keeping control firmly in the hands of the Supreme Leader and his closest allies. Additionally, the elections are used to soften Iran’s image in the West, allowing Iranophiles to hope that the regime is finally beginning the oft-predicted but somehow never quite seen process of democratization and moderation.
At this point we can be reasonably confident that this is pretty much what has happened once again. The real struggle in Iran will be over control of the new resources and opportunities that will arise as the lifting of sanctions pumps new money into the economy. Nothing in the election returns gives any hope that the Revolutionary Guards and the theocratic-industrial complex behind the regime will loosen their grip on the commanding heights of the Iranian economy.“ (Im Blog des US-amerkanischen Magazin The American Interest: „Elections 2016. What’s Really Going on in Iran“)