Democratic System and the Role of Participation in Political Stability and Instability: A Study of the Presidencies of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani

Abstract

This article seeks to examine the impact of political participation on political stability and instability during the presidencies of Hassan Rouhani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The main research question of the article is: What is the relationship between political participation and political stability or instability within the framework of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is based on democratic principles, and how can this relationship be analyzed? The hypothesis of the article is that political participation can play a role in increasing or decreasing political stability or instability. The research method employed in this study is based on Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis. This study demonstrates that the issue of political stability or instability is of great significance in political science, as it directly affects the continuity or discontinuity of a political system. Political systems have always been confronted with this issue. In this research, the concept of "religious democracy" refers to considering the votes, demands, and aspirations of the people within the value-based foundations of Islam. "Political stability" is defined as a state in which a relative balance exists among the three strata of elites—intellectual, instrumental, and political—across various domains. When this balance is disrupted due to increasing divergence, political instability will afflict society. In such a situation, the primary duty of the political system is to preserve this balance among the elites, which can facilitate the modernization of society without severe ruptures in policymaking and implementation.