JCPOA Becomes Law

Iran’s Guardian Council today ratified the bill passed by Majlis, the Iranian parliament, on the nuclear deal with the six world powers, making JCPOA the law of the country.

New Appointments to Guardian Council

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday appointed four clerics to Iran's powerful Guardians Council, a body dominated by ultra-conservatives that interprets the constitution and supervises presidential and parliamentary elections.

The council is a 12-member body, headed by hardliner Ayatollah Ahmad Janati, and is also tasked with ensuring laws approved by parliament are in line with the constitution and sharia, or Islamic law.

It is made up of six clerics appointed by Khamenei and six jurists who are proposed by the judicial chief (who himself is appointed by Khamenei) and voted in by Majlis, whose members have already been vetted by the council.

Among the clerics appointed to a six-year term by Khamenei are ex-judiciary chiefs Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi and Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, who were already council members, and a newcomer, the 60-year old cleric Hojatol-Eslam Shabparast.

For the June 14 presidential election, the council approved eight candidates out of nearly 700 candidates.

File photo: Guardian Council President Ayatollah Jannati (oananews)

Guardian Council Denies Reports of Re-Vetting Rouhani’s Candidacy

The Guardian Council on Sunday denied a report first published by the semi-official Fars News Agency, which was also picked up by Mehr News Agency, that the election controlling body was in the process of re-vetting the candidacy of Hassan Rouhani to disqualify him from running in the June 14 presidential election.

The Fars reports was published soon after Rouhani made a passionate appeal to the country’s youths at a roaring rally in Tehran to overcome their misgivings and cynicism of the political system, and by electing him help propel major reforms, including an amendment to the constitution to recognize equal rights for women and national minorities.

You can watch the video of the rally (Fasi) and the English translation of Rouhani’s speech here.

File photo: presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani (Getty Images)

Iranian Presidential "Elections"--Candidate List

The Approved Candidate List Is Now At The Interior Ministry

By: Jabbar Fazeli, MD

Kayhan reports that the guardian council has handed the interior ministry the list of vetted and approved candidates for this year's presidential elections (1).

The candidates are allowed to officially start campaigning in 48 hours and so the public announcement of the list of names  is likely to come within that time frame.

The spokesman for the guardian council, Kadkhodai, in public comments, has hinted at the disqualification of Rafsanjani based on age. He concedes that the law does has no upper limit on candidates' age, but also stated that any person pursuing an important public office needs to be able to work for more than a few hours a day.

The chair of the guardian council is 86 years old and the council is arguing that Rafsanjani is too old at 78; only in Iran!

Mr. Mashai, Ahmadinejad's protege, who is often referred to as the "deviant", is unlikely to make it to the approved list but he promised to pursue an "appeal". Its is unclear how he would pursue such an appeal, as the list is final and the only person allowed to alter it is the supreme leader.

If the above candidates are disqualified then the remaining major candidates would be Jalili, the lead nuclear negotiator, and Ghalibaf, the mayor of Tehran and ex-security chief. The first is close to the supreme leader and the later being the closest candidate to the IRGC. A win win for the regime. In such scenario the IRGC would not have to resort to further "election engendering" (2) to get the "right candidate" elected.

It is noteworthy that a total of 686 candidates were registered for this presidential election, including 30 women. Democracy by volume since the other elements of democracy are lacking. 

The guardian council announced the disqualification of all women based on gender "in accordance with the law". This term is used loosely in Iran as is the case here; there is no mention of gender in the election law (3).

I am including the list of qualifications of candidates and voters per the Iranian law. They basically require citizenship, loyalty to the regime and the official religion (Shiite), which technically means non-Shiite Iranians don't qualify. Other qualifications are basic, such as the last item listed on the voter qualifications; It basically says the voter has to be "not crazy".

As you can imagine, the Iranian public are dying to know whom they will be "permitted" to vote for to give them four more years of Khamenei rule.

References:

http://www.kayhan.ir/920231/2.htm#N203

http://www.uskowioniran.com/2013/01/reasonable-engineering-of-elections-is.html

http://www.moi.ir/portal/File/ShowFile.aspx?ID=aa23f20a-1659-4508-8005-9a748448396c

Photo credit: BBC

Guardian Council Delays Vetting Decision

Iran’s Guardian Council, a government body responsible for vetting the candidates in the upcoming presidential election, today delayed the publication of its list of qualified candidates until the end of business day on Tuesday 21 May. The presidential election will be held on Friday 14 June. The Council’s decision will give the “chosen” candidates just over three weeks to campaign. The supreme leader can also veto any of the council’s decisions.

Ahmadinejad to Hold Rally at Azadi Stadium - UPDATE

To honor the country’s cultural heritage and tourism organization, President Ahmadinejad is a throwing a big party on 15 April at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, the capital’s largest outdoor venue used for major soccer matches that can seat more than 100,000 people. The gathering is said to be an “extravaganza”, “more glorious” than previous years, with traditional music bands performing at the event.

But the goal this year, two months prior to the upcoming presidential election, is widely believed to be the launch of the candidacy of Esfandia Rahim Mashaie, albeit informally, to replace Ahmadinejad as the next president of Iran. Both Ahmadinejad and Mashaie are expected to speak at the event.

“Zendeh Bad Bahar” (“Viva Spring”) will be the slogan for the event. It’s been used in recent months as the signature campaign slogan in pro-Ahmadinaejad/Mashaie rallies. The right, who accuses Mashaie of being the leader of the “deviationsts” for his perceived preference of the nationalist Iranian character of the country at the expense of Islam, cringes at such slogan and the Iranian-flag waving crowd that attend such events.

The conservatives will try to stop Mashaie’s run for presidency through the Guardian Council, a 12-member body consisting of clerics and Islamic jurists, with half of its members appointed by the supreme leader and the other half selected by the conservative majority in the Majlis. Ironically if they are successful in rejecting Mashaie’s candidacy, they will open the door for the victory of the candidate of the moderates/reformists.

UPDATE: The rally has been postponed to Thursday 18 April.

File photo: Esfandia Rahim Mashaie (R) and President Ahmadinejad (VOA/rferl.org) 

Ahmadinejad to Postpone Presidential Election if Mashaie Is Disqualified – Majlis Deputy Speaker

Majlis Deputy Speaker Mohammad-Reza Bahonar today warned that President Ahmadinejad is contemplating to use his executive powers to postpone the 14 June presidential election if the Guardian Council disqualifies his handpicked candidate and political confidant Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie.

The Guardian Council is a twelve-member body composed of six clerics appointed by Khamenei and six other Islamic experts elected by Majlis that can disqualify any candidate for elected office, including presidential candidates, on charges of anti-Islamic views or behavior without being required to offer any specific reasons. But Khamenie can reverse the Council’s ruling and let the disqualified candidates participate in the election.

Bahonar also said if Mashaie is disqualified by the Council, Ahmadinejad will not be able to postpone the election.

“Ahmadinejad doesn’t have the ability to challenge the regime,” bahonar said. “People more powerful than Ahmadinejad wanted to postpone previous elections, but were unable to do so.” (IRNA, 10 April)

Bahonar did not specify who in the past tried unsuccessfully to postpone any of the elections.

File photo: Deputy Speaker Mohammad-Reza Bahonar (Press TV)