Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani: The Most Determinative Election Will Be Held

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council in Iran, states that public satisfaction with the outcome of the upcoming parliamentary elections is essential and expresses hope that "the best election in the history of the revolution" will take place in "the most determinative election." On November 6, during a speech in Hamadan, Rafsanjani criticized the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, stating that during the presidential election in 2013, "in that heavy security atmosphere, people went to the polls and declared with their choice that this eight years of bitter experience is enough for all of Iran's history." This political figure, close to President Hassan Rouhani, was a critic of Ahmadinejad both during and after his presidency. He and Mohammad Khatami, the former president, were among those who supported Rouhani during the 2013 elections. Rafsanjani has also criticized clerics who supported Ahmadinejad, stating that they are "honestly guilty." Without directly referring to past events, Rafsanjani claims that the situation is better now, as, in addition to the people, "a large portion of the country's officials... are custodians of the votes." Following the announcement of the 2009 elections, a wave of protests erupted in Iran; these protests were met with a crackdown by security forces, resulting in the deaths of some protesters and the arrest and imprisonment of many others. According to the official website of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council emphasized that "public satisfaction with the election results is essential for the continuity of development and changing the international perspective on Iran." Rafsanjani stated that Iran's state radio and television should prioritize public participation in elections; "the national media should not act factionally, as doing so will yield the opposite result, as it did in previous elections, because the people know everything." This is not the first time Rafsanjani has emphasized the "high importance" of parliamentary elections. He also stated in August that the upcoming elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts are "very important and among the most significant elections." Currently, the majority of the Iranian parliament is held by conservatives. Some of them have already warned that the parliament should not fall into the hands of "even moderate reformists." A group of hardline clerics and senior officials of the Islamic Republic have also warned about the outcome of the Assembly of Experts elections. The tenth parliamentary elections in Iran will be held in Esfand 1394 and Ordibehesht 1395. The first phase will take place on the seventh of Esfand, simultaneously with the Assembly of Experts elections, in which Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has previously announced he will participate.