Cleric's death won't affect reformists

The death of Iran's Ayatollah Hussain Ali Montazeri may not have an impact on the Islamic republic, but his absence will surely be felt by those who try to reform the regime. Contrary to what is frequently written in the Western media, Montazeri was actually not an enemy of the regime. One must recall that he engineered the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and was the main aide to its leader Ayatollah Khomeini until he fell from grace shortly before Khomeini's death in June 1989.

Montazeri was an opponent of the absolute power given to the ‘Supreme Leader'. He was not an advocate of a secular democracy like some in the media or academia would like to think. He wanted the revolution to evolve into a state where the people have a stronger input in the decision-making, but from within the religious system designed by him and his mentor, Ayatollah Khomeini.

His major impact was during the recent protests against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His name was widely used as ‘a spiritual leader' of the reform movement, which wanted some sort of legitimacy by using the name of a senior scholar. It is not clear if he agreed to that.

There is no doubt the current regime is happy to see him go. But it is doubtful the reform movement would lose much.