Criticism from MP on Widespread Military Presence: The Country Has Become Like a Barracks!

A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly criticized the extensive presence of military personnel in the executive management of the country, stating that the people of Iran have lost hope in the "Parliament and Government." Jalil Rahimi Jahan Abadi, a member of Parliament, commented on the representatives' request for the "dismissal of the political deputy of the Minister of Interior" due to the issuance of a directive, saying: The issue is not about the political deputy of the Minister of Interior or the Minister of Interior, but rather that "all branches together" cannot solve the people's problems. This member of Parliament further discussed the gap between the lifestyle of government officials and society, stating that many officials of the Islamic Republic "do not have a proper understanding of the conditions in which people live." Since the establishment of the thirteenth government of the Islamic Republic in the summer of 1400 (2021), the presence of military personnel in senior management positions has increased significantly, to the extent that the number of military ministers, military officials in various agencies, as well as military governors, mayors, and district governors has noticeably risen compared to before. Among the sectors of the Islamic Republic government where members of the Revolutionary Guards are clearly present in management are the "Ministry of Interior" and its subsidiaries, from the level of minister and deputies to governorships, mayoralties, and district governorships. This member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly pointed out that Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic, has appointed a military person as Minister of Interior and another military person as "political deputy," stating: In Khorasan Razavi, a military person has also been appointed as governor, and "honestly, it has become like a barracks," and we do not know "who to tell the people's pain to?" This member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly stated that "Gholamreza unfortunately lacks political experience" and is a person who has done "military and security work," adding that his past shows that he did not have a particularly successful record even when he was in Iraq. Mohammad Reza Gholamreza, the current "political deputy" of the Ministry of Interior of the Islamic Republic, was previously one of the senior commanders of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iraq during Qassem Soleimani's command over this force. The political deputy of the Minister of Interior of Ebrahim Raisi's government and the head of the election headquarters of the Islamic Republic requested in a letter to governorships, mayoralties, and district governorships to prevent members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly from entering "executive affairs" in the final year of this Assembly and in the months leading up to its elections; a directive that elicited a reaction from the members of Parliament. In response to this letter, members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly initially called for the dismissal of the "head of the election headquarters of the country" and, after the silence of the Ministry of Interior of Raisi's government, announced the collection of signatures for the "impeachment" of Ahmad Vahidi, but ultimately, with Vahidi's presence at a "non-public" meeting and the announcement of explanations, it appeared that everything had come to an end. However, the status of the political deputy of the Minister of Interior remains ambiguous. After the non-public meeting of Parliament, several representatives announced that the Minister of Interior had "promised that the political deputy" of the Ministry of Interior would be changed, a matter that was denied by Vahidi the next day. Nevertheless, a few days later, Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of Parliament, stated that he does not consider the impeachment of the Minister to be "in the interest" and said that the Minister of Interior has requested time to review and select a replacement option. These electoral efforts come at a time when, based on published official statistics, public enthusiasm for participating at the "ballot box" has significantly decreased to "below 50 percent" since the last parliamentary elections in 98 (2019) and the subsequent controversial presidential election of 1400 (2021). The elections for the twelfth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly will be held on Friday, 11 Esfand 1402 (March 2, 2024) to determine the representatives of this Assembly.