A 'Principlist' Activist Criticizes the Presence of 'Retired Officials from a Security-Political Organization' in Election Executive Boards

The controversy over disqualifications in the upcoming parliamentary elections has become so intense that it has even raised the voices of political activists considered supporters of the current regime. Mansour Haqiqatpour, a 'Principlist' political activist, in an interview with the 'ILNA' news agency published today, Tuesday, deemed the increase in disqualifications of parliamentary candidates by executive boards from 8% in the previous election to 28% as 'unacceptable,' attributing this to the selection of executive boards 'from a specific political class and group.' Haqiqatpour emphasized that 'the executive boards were entirely chosen from a specific political class and group,' stating that this raises suspicions of 'engineering' among the public. This political activist affiliated with the Principlists noted that disqualified candidates and others are 'somewhat concerned about this issue,' stressing that 'we should not have utilized a specific current in this process.' He insisted that 'it is not acceptable to select individuals from a specific spectrum or a specific political network,' adding: 'If you come to use retirees from a security-political organization, the result will be that in the previous election you had an 8% disqualification rate, and this time it has reached 28%, which is neither logical nor reasonable.' This political activist also criticized the inexperience of many election officials, stating: 'We currently have 20 governors who are experiencing their first election. Most of the executive boards are also first-timers, which will weaken our elections.' The initial results of the 'qualification status' of candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections were announced on Friday, November 10, while several critical representatives from the 'Revolutionary Parliament' reported their disqualifications. Ahmad Khatami, the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran, called the disqualifications 'natural' but warned those disqualified to 'act in accordance with the dignity of the educated and not question the system.' Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also described the elections scheduled for March as 'very important' and stated that 'the enemy's artillery' is engaged in 'electoral bombardment.' The elections for the 11th term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly were held on February 19, 2020, and were recognized as the least participatory elections in the history of the Islamic Republic. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the then Minister of Interior, announced an average participation rate of 42.57%. Two years later, the presidential elections faced 'boycotts' and low public turnout, which officials of the Islamic Republic attempted to attribute to the country's COVID-19 situation.