Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: I Will Participate in the Assembly of Experts Elections, God Willing

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of Iran's Expediency Council, has announced his potential candidacy in the upcoming Assembly of Experts elections. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Mr. Rafsanjani described this election as 'one of the most decisive elections in the history of the Islamic Revolution,' stating, 'The conditions for execution and supervision [in this election] must be such that it strengthens the people's hope and encourages society to create another political epic.' Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who served as the head of the Assembly of Experts from 2007 to 2011, added, 'I will also participate, God willing.' The Assembly of Experts is the only body that, according to the Islamic Republic's constitution, has the responsibility to elect and, if necessary, dismiss the leader of the government. Ali Khamenei, the current leader of the Islamic Republic, will be 77 years old when the next term of the Assembly of Experts begins. Previously, Ghorbanali Dori Najafabadi, a member of the Assembly of Experts, stated, 'May God preserve the leadership and grant him a long life, God willing. However, we must think about what comes after him.' The fifth term elections for the Assembly of Experts and the tenth term elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly are scheduled to be held on March 7 of this year. Candidates for the Assembly elections, like those for the Islamic Consultative Assembly, must be approved by the Guardian Council. Previously, a few months after Hassan Rouhani's government began, Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council and a member of the Assembly of Experts, warned: 'Those who have captured the first stronghold are seeking to take over the Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Consultative Assembly.' Recently, Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly's board, warned about attempts by some to 'disrupt' the current composition and form a 'strong minority' in this Assembly. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was the second head of the Assembly of Experts after Ali Meshkini, resigned from his position in 2011 after widespread pressure and criticism from supporters of the Islamic Republic's leader both inside and outside the Assembly. Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani succeeded Mr. Rafsanjani in this position. Following the death of Mr. Mahdavi Kani in October 2014, Mohammad Yazdi succeeded him. At that time, Mr. Yazdi received 47 votes, while Mr. Rafsanjani received 24 votes from the members of the Assembly.