Power Of One

PATRICK BAZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
An Iranian Shiite cleric casts his vote at a polling station set up in a mosque in the holy city of Qom

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Yet if the Supreme Leader is allowing himself to smile, he could soon have regrets if the election results so neutralize the opposition that the hard-liners lose the fig leaf of respectability the reformers have provided for Iranians wanting change and for wary Western governments.

Many reformists conclude that changing the system from within isn't possible. Some advocate pushing for a constitutional change to curb or even abolish Khamenei's powers. That appeals to militant students, who have chanted "Death to Khamenei!" in street protests. Reform strategists say they may turn next year's presidential election into a referendum on the Supreme Leader's powers by asking voters to cast blank votes to signify dissatisfaction. Former Khomeini aide Mohsen Sazegara was imprisoned for 114 days this year after penning an essay that challenged Khomeini's doctrine stipulating the right of an Islamic jurist currently Khamenei to absolute rule. "I was hopeful we could reform the regime," he told TIME. "But now I believe that with this constitution, we cannot achieve any reform."

Open criticism of the government last week reached a level not seen since the fall of Shah Reza Pahlavi. In a letter to Khamenei, angry reformist Majlis members denounced his repressive policies and compared him unflatteringly with his predecessor. "The popular revolution brought freedom and independence in the name of Islam," they wrote. "But now you lead a system in which legitimate freedoms and the rights of the people are being trampled in the name of Islam." Khamenei's allies responded immediately, with judicial officials shutting down Iran's two leading reformist dailies for daring to publish parts of the criticism.