Ahmadinejad: The Continued Presence of the Heads of the Three Branches in Power Faces Major Challenges

On Sunday, March 6, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad commented on his letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stating that the continued presence of the heads of the three branches of government is facing "major challenges" in the current situation. The former president of Iran had written a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei on March 2, suggesting the removal of the head of the judiciary and the holding of early presidential and parliamentary elections. Several principlists reacted strongly to this letter. In response to the "widespread reactions" to his letter to the Supreme Leader, Ahmadinejad published a note on the "Dolat Bahar" website, stating: "There are three possibilities. The heads of the branches consider their legitimacy and permission to intervene in the country's affairs to come from the votes and choices of the people, the confirmation and appointment of the leadership, or both. In any case, in the current situation, their continued presence in these positions faces significant challenges." He then posed the question of whether the heads of the branches and their supporters know of any way out of the current situation other than resorting to public votes and renewing elections. Ahmadinejad had previously called for "immediate and free presidential and parliamentary elections, without the engineering of the Guardian Council and the interference of military and security institutions, and allowing people to choose freely." His mainly reformist critics, including Mehdi Karroubi, who is currently under house arrest, have repeatedly stated that the presidential elections of 2005 and 2009 were engineered in favor of Ahmadinejad with the support of the Supreme Leader and his close associates. Reformist critics at that time accused the "military party" of interfering in the elections. Ahmadinejad continued in his note: "The resignation or removal of managers who are unpopular with the people and holding early elections is a recognized solution worldwide to meet the people's opinion and maintain the foundations of countries. This does not contradict the initial vote and is, in fact, a respect for the people and a return to the votes of those same people." He further stated that the issues he raised should be "subject to the people's vote." Ahmadinejad's recent open letters against the Larijani brothers and especially his two letters to the Supreme Leader have faced negative reactions among principlists who previously supported him. Mohammad Reza Bahonar, the former deputy speaker of parliament, said on Saturday, without naming Ahmadinejad, that despite the "readiness" to deal with him, the "conditions" for that must be met. Meanwhile, the "Jomhouri Islami" newspaper reported that on Saturday, "several members of the Expediency Discernment Council, during an official meeting, deemed the contents of Ahmadinejad's letter to the leadership as contrary and called for legal action against him." The "Kayhan" newspaper, which was a staunch defender of Ahmadinejad during his presidency, also mocked him and his associates, stating: "(They) today say all officials should step aside so that we and our friends can take over! Do they not understand that this nonsense only makes the nation laugh? They are boasting to stay relevant!" Ali Motahari, the deputy speaker of parliament, also reacted to Ahmadinejad's letter, writing: "The request for presidential and parliamentary elections without the engineering of the Guardian Council and the interference of military and security institutions implies that in recent elections, especially in 2005 and 2009, when Ahmadinejad was at the center of events, there was engineering by the Guardian Council and interference by military and security institutions." He further questioned why Ahmadinejad did not raise these issues while he was in power. Motahari added: "In general, Ahmadinejad should be told that many of your suggestions are correct, but it would have been better if you had raised them during your presidency or at least before your friends were arrested and your cases were raised to avoid the suspicion of 'the word of truth being used for falsehood' in people's minds." The spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary also stated on Sunday that additional charges have been added to Ahmadinejad's case, but no legal action has yet been taken in terms of summoning, informing him of charges, or arresting him. The conflict between Ahmadinejad and his associates with institutions such as the judiciary and the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards has intensified following the formation of the court for Hamid Baghaei, the former vice president, and the interrogation of Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff during his presidency.