A coalition of Iranian opposition figures from a range of political groups condemned the upcoming Iranian presidential election as a 'charade', reports the Guardian.
The coalition, which came together for a two day conference organised by United for Democracy in Iran in Stockholm this weekend, consisted of exiled political figures, who attended in their personal capacity, rather than as representatives of their political parties.
In a statement, the coalition slammed the exclusion of candidates as exhibiting a lack of legitimacy, stating the election on 14th June was "an insult to the Iranians".
"The policies of the Islamic Republic, both internally and externally, have created numerous crises and placed our homeland in a truly precarious position."
"In these circumstances, the regime in Tehran is staging an election that bears no resemblance to free and fair elections in accordance with international standards."
"The adventuresome foreign policy of the regime, that has sacrificed Iran's national interests for the backward and self-serving viewpoints of a few, has positioned our country in unprecedented isolation, brought to bear back-breaking sanctions and imperilled the security of the nation."
"Free and fair election… is the most realistic and least costly way of bringing different viewpoints together and pave the way for the achievement of democracy to save our country from ruin and chaos."
