Iran's self-exiled former Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar talked with TIME Correspondent Sandra Burton in Paris last week about his country's present and future. Among Bakhtiar's views:
On the boycott of last week's election.
It is extremely useful that the democratic groups—the petite bourgeoisie, the liberals, the center-left organizations and some religious leaders—stayed out. It shows that an important part of the intelligentsia and even the clergy do not approve of this system of government. People just realized that it is useless to vote because, absolutely beyond doubt, the results could be known before the election.
On what voters should be offered.
A referendum [should...
