August 1920

The Majlis has dissolved for an immediate election. Following the negotiations that took place to form the government after the collapse of Mirza’s provisional progressive regime, Colonel Pessian has overseen negotiations to form a unity government while elections are held. This caretaker government is soon to end as the results start pouring in.

The Democrats and Moderate Socialist Party as well as some independents and the vast majority of the members of the Unity government cabinet have come together to form a new political party. Citing the difficulties caused by vote splitting by the secular and reformist vote, these parties have come together with the Revival party to finally complete the evolution of the movement into the Revival party. The campaign the Revival party has run has been to the point, direct and simple. Iran must undergo an era of intensive modernization and reform to the likes of Japan’s Meiji restoration. We must learn all there is to learn from other nations on matters of modernization, cultural, institutional and technological. But it is important that we recognize that these changes must be through the lens of Iranian nationhood and the Iranian identity.

In this election, the Unity government has launched legislative reforms to allow both men and women to vote and eliminate poll taxes and other hindrances to poorer citizens of Iran for voting. A national voting holiday has been declared and the only requirement is that you are a citizen of Iran and can pass a literacy test. This of course would exclude a great deal of the typically religious, traditionalist and reactionary peasantry in the rural parts of the nation from voting, significantly undercutting the power of the traditionalist bloc. Furthermore, allowing women to vote like in Azerbaijan another Iranic state, has significantly boosted the abilities of the Revival party. Finally, the election commission has gerrymandered the 138 seats in the legislature to favour the odds of the progressive modernist forces in the election.

The final results are as follows:

Learned Council(Islamist/Conservative Religious forces): 12

Tudeh Party: 35

Revival Party: 91

Colonel Pessian has been elected as President of the Republic