Ahmadinejad Calls for Free Elections and Dismissal of Judiciary Chief

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, called for the dismissal of the head of the judiciary and for "immediate and free elections" in the country without interference from "security institutions" and "engineering by the Guardian Council." Ahmadinejad's letter, published on Wednesday, February 21, on the "Dolat-e Bahar" website, is a response to Khamenei's recent speech acknowledging that the country is suffering from injustice and that officials should apologize for this. The Supreme Leader also admitted that public protests are directed at him as well, not just the judiciary and the government. In his letter, Ahmadinejad referred to Khamenei's "extensive and unparalleled powers and authorities" and stated that these remarks should not be seen merely as moral recommendations but require immediate and practical actions to reform the country's situation in line with the people's wishes and satisfaction. He proposed suggestions for "fundamental reforms" that include the three branches of government and various institutions, even the office of the Supreme Leader. At the top of these proposals is the issue of "free elections," which Ahmadinejad called a "necessity." He wrote: "The immediate and free holding of presidential and parliamentary elections, of course without engineering by the Guardian Council and interference from military and security institutions, and allowing people to choose freely, is an urgent necessity." Ahmadinejad ran as a candidate in this year's presidential election but faced a blockade from the Guardian Council and was not allowed to participate. In the previous election, a close associate of his, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, registered to run but was disqualified by the Guardian Council alongside other figures like former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Ahmadinejad continued his letter by criticizing the judiciary, calling the actions of senior officials in this institution "one of the main factors of public dissatisfaction" and accusing them of "oppressing" the general public. He called for the "immediate change of the head of the judiciary... and the appointment of an individual with the characteristics specified in the Constitution, as well as the establishment and introduction of an independent and accepted authority by the people to address complaints from this institution," adding that this could "alleviate the people's grievances and garner their support for reforms." Over the past months, Ahmadinejad has sharply criticized Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, especially regarding the case of his former deputy, Hamid Bakai, who is facing financial charges and has received long prison sentences. Last month, he also wrote to Khamenei requesting the Supreme Leader's intervention in Bakai's case, stating that the Larijani brothers have inflicted "irreparable damage to the trust of the people, the revolution, the parliament, and the judiciary." Ahmadinejad's third proposal to Khamenei was to issue orders for the release and non-prosecution of opponents and critics of the Islamic Republic and its leader. He wrote: "Issuing orders for the release and non-prosecution of all those who have been arrested or sentenced under various pretexts, including protesting against conditions and the management of the country, undermining and propagating against the regime, or criticizing you and other government centers and officials from past years until now, and concluding all claims raised in this regard, is a legitimate and human demand and can help gain the trust and cooperation of the people and political activists in implementing reforms." Ahmadinejad ultimately expressed hope for "fundamental reforms in the country" and, without naming anyone, hinted that he expects "known elements embedded in the formal and informal structures of the government will not be able to prevent the realization of this important matter." Khamenei had previously implicitly accused Ahmadinejad and his close circle of "doing the enemy's work inside" and stated: "Those who have all the country's resources in their hands or have had them have no right to play the role of the opposition." The former president is himself one of the main accused of suppressing critics and opponents during his eight years in power. Ahmadinejad's opponents, especially during the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election, accused the Islamic Republic of engineering votes and interfering with military and security institutions to ensure his victory. A few days after the announcement of the 2009 election results, Ahmadinejad referred to his opponents and protesters as "a bunch of dust and debris." The leaders of these protests, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Zahra Rahnavard, and Mehdi Karroubi, have been under house arrest for seven years. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his administrations have been accused of widespread financial misconduct, with the Iranian Court of Audit stating that he illegally spent more than 4600 billion tomans from oil sales since 2008, and this amount must be returned to the treasury.