Conservative clerics are not inclined to stand in the way of Iran's transition to democracy, Olivier Roy, an author and expert on the region, told those attending a Central Eurasia Projects-sponsored meeting.
Reformist forces, led by President Mohammad Khatami, achieved an overwhelming victory in Iran's February 18 parliamentary elections. [See Eurasia Insight Archive] The vote paved the way for a more democratically oriented system to supplant conservative clerics, who have dominated Iranian politics since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"The bulk of clerics now
Oliver Roy is a Senior Researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research. He has served as a United Nations consultant on Afghanistan, and has headed the OSCEs mission for Tajikistan. He is the author of numerous books and articles on political Islam, the Middle East and Central Asia.
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