Iran Elections 2016: Will change in power decrease Christian persecution?

Many are hoping that the recent Iran elections would bring about reform in the country, but it is still unclear if the change in power will prove to be a factor in helping decrease Christian persecution in the country.

Based on the results released by the Interior Ministry, reformists have secured at least 85 seats while moderate conservatives won 73 seats in the 290-seat assembly. The victories of reformists and moderates over the hardliners in the Iran elections have prompted many to hope that persecution would somehow decrease, according to Premier. In the last election, moderates were only able to secure 20 seats.

President Hassan Rouhani and former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani are among the moderates who have retained their respective places in the Assembly of Experts. There are also some hardliners --- including Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati --- who are still with the assembly.

Release International, an anti-persecution charity group, has said that the results of the Iran elections could lead to a significant reduction in Christian persecution.

Paul Robinson, the organization's chief executive, said it is the right time to put an end on the crackdown on Christians. He also called on Iran to take reform seriously and free the Christian pastors and 90 other people thrown in jail for their religious beliefs, who are allegedly being mistreated in prison, the report relays.

While Christians are hopeful that the change in power brought about by the elections could ease persecution, there are skeptics who believe nothing much will change anytime soon. The Atlantic notes that prior to the polls, the Guardian Council disqualified thousands of candidates, many of them pro-reformers.

Another factor that makes the direction of the results unclear is the lack of confirmation regarding the official political affiliations of the winners. It is hard to tell if they are really moderates or simply a slightly softer version of the hardliners.

Ali Dareini of the Associated Press said if moderates were to truly take the reins, Iran would take the road towards democratic freedom and closer ties with the West.

As of now, it remains to be seen if the shift of powers brought about by the elections will prove to be instrumental in bringing Christian persecution in the country to an end.