French Lawmakers Write in La Tribune, Calling for United Iranian Opposition to Enable Democratic Transition

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French Lawmakers Write in La Tribune, Calling for United Iranian Opposition to Enable Democratic Transition
In an opinion piece published by La Tribune,

Written by
Amir Taghati
In an opinion piece published by La Tribune, French parliamentarians including Christine Arrighi, André Chassaigne, and Philippe Gosselin urge the formation of a broad, unified opposition to support a democratic transition in Iran.

Writing on behalf of the Committee for a Democratic Iran (CPID), the authors stress that Iran’s opposition is diverse but shares a common rejection of dictatorship. They argue that attempts to impose unity from abroad are misguided and likely to fail, insisting that political change must emerge from within Iranian society itself. The lawmakers contend that neither conciliatory diplomacy nor recent military actions have succeeded in reforming the current regime.

They point to the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s Ten-Point Plan as an increasingly unifying framework, highlighting commitments to secularism, gender equality, minority rights, and the abolition of the death penalty. The signatories also denounce intensifying repression, including recent executions of opposition members.

They conclude by calling for international engagement with credible democratic forces rather than the ruling authorities.

Translated version of the original French article follows:

“What Are Prospects for a Democratic Iran?” By Philippe Gosselin, Christine Arrighi, and André Chassaigne
Nine French parliamentarians or former parliamentarians, all members of the Parliamentary Committee for a Democratic Iran (CPID), are calling for the unity of all democratic components of the Iranian opposition to achieve a pluralist and secular transition.

In France, no one is surprised that political forces are multiple, opposed, or formed through alliances. The same is true of the Iranian opposition, which is plural by nature, sometimes marked by red lines, but driven by the same struggle and a shared conviction: the rejection of dictatorship in all its forms.

Iran moves us deeply through the courage of its citizens in the face of the cruelty of a theocratic regime, through the resilience of its women facing institutionalized misogyny, and through the perseverance of its resistance under internal repression and under bombs. For nearly five decades, this people has defied one of the most obscurantist regimes of our time.

Ignoring the divisions and alliance dynamics specific to the Iranian people in order to impose an artificial coalition from abroad can only lead to failure.

It must be acknowledged that neither policies of appeasement have transformed the sectarian power of the mullahs, nor have wars and recent bombings brought about radical change. Even weakened, the regime continues its headlong rush. Today, we are convinced of one thing: the solution lies in the hands of the Iranian people in all their diversity. It is with them that dialogue must be engaged, not with the regime. But we must still know who the genuine interlocutors are.

We also note that the Ten-Point Plan of the National Council of Resistance of Iran is increasingly uniting Iran’s diverse political forces. Recognition of autonomy for Iranian Kurdistan, as well as for other components of Iran such as the Baluch and Arab populations, is a factor of reconciliation. By contrast, labeling ethnic groups seeking political and cultural autonomy as separatists, as the royalist current does, opens the way to future conflict.

This program also includes the separation of religion and state, equality between men and women, and the abolition of the death penalty—principles that we, as elected officials, strongly support. This is all the more significant given that the transitional period proposed by the NCRI would not exceed six months.

As French parliamentarians and members of the CPID, we are deeply sensitive to this aspiration for a pluralist and secular democracy, as are thousands of parliamentarians around the world. Our conviction is reinforced by the Iranian regime’s relentless targeting of this coalition, accompanied by campaigns of demonization and defamation, sometimes echoed in our own country.

In recent years, we have repeatedly witnessed direct and indirect attempts by Iranian authorities to hinder the activities of these opposition forces, particularly the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, tens of thousands of whose members and supporters have been executed over more than four decades for their opposition to religious dictatorship. Four more activists—Babak Alipour, Pouya Ghobadi, Mohammad Taghavi, and Akbar Daneshvarkar—were hanged in recent days in Tehran.

According to Iran’s own judicial authorities, many members of the organization are currently sentenced to death, and many sympathizers are among the victims of recent crackdowns. At a time when the Iranian people are enduring dramatic trials—marked by thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of arrests, and a war beyond their control—a democratic approach requires fostering an inclusive framework bringing together the most committed opposition forces for the establishment of a secular and democratic republic in Iran.

In these circumstances, we call for the unity of all democratic components of the Iranian opposition and for the rejection of any position that would serve the interests of an authoritarian regime. The Iranian people aspire to freedom, democracy, and sovereignty. We hear them and believe that no one has the right to speak on their behalf.

Signatories
Christine Arrighi, Member of Parliament for Haute-Garonne (Ecologist and Social), President of the CPID
Jean-Pierre Brard, former MP and mayor of Montreuil, co-founder of the CPID
André Chassaigne, former MP for Puy-de-Dôme (GDR), honorary president of the CPID
Philippe Gosselin, MP for Manche (Les Républicains), Vice-President of the CPID
Patrick Hetzel, MP for Bas-Rhin (Les Républicains), former Minister of Higher Education, Research and Space
Vincent Louault, Senator for Indre-et-Loire (Les Indépendants – République et Territoires), Vice-President of the CPID
Alain Néri, former Senator for Puy-de-Dôme (Socialist), former Vice-President of the National Assembly
Hervé Saulignac, MP for Ardèche (Socialists and affiliated), Vice-President of the CPID
Michel Terrot, former MP for Rhône (Les Républicains)

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