Mesbah Endorses Jalili

By Nader Uskowi

Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, the spiritual leader of the ultraconservative Perseverance Front, today publicly endorsed the candidacy of Saeed Jalili for president. Mesbah Yazdi praised Jalili, saying he was hopeful that Jalili would revive Islamic values in the society. The ayatollah, pictured here, made his public endorsement after meeting Jalili for more than four hours today.

“I thank the Almighty for letting me live under a righteous regime that was led by Imam Khomeini and now his successor, a supreme leader that is following Imam Khomeni’s path… Our group evaluated the candidates on different factors, but supporting Islamic values were the determining factor for us… After Mr. Lankarani (who will not be on the ballot), we believe Mr. Jalili is the best candidate that represents the Islamic values… We hope he would be a good assistant to the supreme leader as well,” Mesbah said. (Fars News Agency, 28 May)

Mesbah Yazdi has never been shy about his own fundamentalist religious beliefs and teachings, famously repeating that in Islamic governments, the president and other elected officials do not, and cannot gain their legitimacy from the popular vote, but from the blessing of the supreme leader who acts as the representative of the Hidden Imam.

Mesbah has also said many times that the republican nature of the Islamic Republic is secondary to its Islamic essence; and has actually proposed that Sharia laws be the governing laws of the country. But most importantly, he is the leader of a very influential faction within the Islamic Republic whose thinking are closest to the Taliban and the Saudi Salafis, albeit their Shia Version.

Mesbah’s endorsement of Jalili and Jalili’s expression of joy from such endorsement might actually cost Jalili large amount of vote and further help the chances of the already popular Mayor Qalibaf of Tehran. After the disqualification of Rafsanjani by the Guardian Council, Qalibaf is considered the frontrunner. He would have received the votes of many moderates on both sides of the country’s political spectrum, who would have otherwise voted for Rafsanjani. Now, Mesbah’s spirited defense of Jalili could even push more of the moderate and pro-reform sympathizers to vote for Qalibaf in order to stop Jalili. Interesting election, full of intrigues and surprises; Stay Tuned!

Perseverance Front to Choose New Nominee for President

The Perseverance Front, the extremist hardline group led by ultraconservative Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, said today it is in consultation with its leading members and other conservatives groups to choose a new candidate for president.

The Front had chosen former health minister Kamran Baqeri Lankarani as its nominee. But as the deadline for registration of candidates approached, and it was becoming clear that Ayatollah Rafsanjani would run, the Front pushed the nomination of a much stronger candidate, Saeed Jalili. Mr. Jalili, the executive secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the country’s chief nuclear negotiator, registered to run for president literally at the last hour.

It is now expected that Lankarani would withdraw his name in favor of Jalili. What is not yet clear is if the Front can field a unity candidate along with traditional conservative groups, most notably the Coalition of Three (Qalibaf, Velayati, Haddad Adel), to stop Rafsanjani’s presidency.

Photo credit: Top presidential candidates. The first row, from right: Rafsanjani, Mashaie, and Jalili (ISNA) 

Assembly of Experts to Meet in March

Iran’s Assembly of Expert, a deliberative body of 86 senior Shia clerics that is charged with electing the Supreme Leader of Iran and theoretically removing and supervising his activities, will hold its semi-annual session on 8 and 9 March.

The Assembly’s current chairman, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the most influential founders of the Islamic Republic and its former president, has come under fierce attack by the senior right wing politicians and the supporters of President Ahmadinejad for his tacit support of, or lack of opposition to, the leaders of the country’s reform movement. The state TV last week went as far as broadcasting a demonstration by pro-government supporters in which they were chanting “Death to Rafsanjani.”

There are speculations that the extreme right will be nominating one of the two senior clerics, Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani or Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, to replace Rafsanjani during the March session. However it is thought that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei favors keeping Rafsanjani at his posts, the chairmanship of the Assembly as well as the Expediency Council, as a counterweight to the growing influence of Ahmadinejad and his backers.