The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) have said that the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei’s decision to select Ebrahim Raisi as the regime’s new president was his last step in his attempt to consolidate power in his regime.

Khamenei enlisted the help of his Guardian Council during the presidential and parliamentary elections. The organization was used to assess the candidates, and eliminate those from rival factions or those that posed threats to his regime. This has led to a parliamentary cabinet consisting of thieves and internationally-wanted terrorists, headed by a president known for his history of human rights abuses, keeping in line with Khamenei’s attempts to consolidate the regime.

The NCRI said, “While many may consider Khamenei’s actions are coming from the position of strength, state media and regime officials acknowledge that Khamenei’s contraction policy is doomed to fail.”

Hamidreza Jalaiepour, a member of the rival faction, spoke to state-run media outlet, Aftab News and said, “The cabinet members were introduced to the parliament and received a vote of confidence from the parliament. What are the characteristics of this cabinet and what consequences will it have in society?”

He went on to say that the government wants to consolidate the power within the regime in order to deal with and control the crises that Iran is currently facing with a supposed greater efficiency.

The NCRI said, “Khamenei and his regime face a restive society. Due to the regime’s 42 years of corruption, oppression, and now the Covid-19 outbreak that the mullahs’ refused to control, the public hatred is increasing. Two major Iran protests rattled the regime’s foundations in 2018 and 2019, with people calling for regime change.”

Jalaiepour said that the minister’s in Raisi’s cabinet were not chosen because of their ‘qualities and background, performance and ability’, but rather their loyalty to the ‘propaganda program’ run by the regime.

He said, “The government is well aware of the potential for popular unrests in society. Therefore, a cabinet has been introduced that is capable of controlling and dealing with popular protests and when protests happen, there wouldn’t be any voice of opposition in the government.”

The NCRI said, “According to Jalaiepour, Raisi’s government ‘is not an efficient government to control the three crises of livelihood, health, and drought’. It is mostly a cabinet that ‘confirms the propaganda and ideology’ of the [regime].”

The crises faced by Iranian citizens are turning from public frustration to complete resentment of the regime. The economic downfall, droughts, unsustainable developments, combined with the delays in imports of foreign Covid-19 vaccines and the preventable deaths of tens of thousands of Iranians has only heightened the resentment that the Iranian people are feeling.

The regime used the pandemic to aim to subdue the restless Iranian people who are striving for regime change, putting demonstrations on hold for almost a year. However, recent protests that took place in Khuzestan province show that the regime’s attempts to control society have failed.

The NCRI said, “If the regime increases oppression, the public hatred toward the mullahs’ would increase. If it does not oppress people, protests rapidly spread across Iran. Thus, the regime is in a deadlock and has no way out.”