Criticism Over Lack of Announcement on the Election Financial Transparency Bill

Ahmad Tavakoli, a principlist member of parliament, states that the failure to announce the receipt of the "urgent bill for the transparency of election financial resources and expenses" puts the parliament under accusation. The Minister of Interior has also mentioned that it was expected that the parliament would review this bill to assist in addressing complaints in the upcoming elections. According to Mehr news agency, Ahmad Tavakoli on Tuesday, November 25, stated in the parliament that the parliamentary board should have prioritized this bill. This principlist representative pointed out that the approval of this bill would prevent potential corruption, stating: "If the parliament fails to announce the receipt of this bill or does not want it to be approved, it will be accused of opposing the transparency of financial resources and expenses of candidates for the Islamic Consultative Assembly." In this context, the Iranian Minister of Interior stated that it was expected that the parliament would place the "bill for the transparency of election financial resources and expenses" on its agenda before the elections on March 7, so that any potential complaints could be addressed. The government submitted this bill to the parliament on November 20. According to the text of this bill published on November 23 by Mehr and Fars news agencies, candidates for elections are required to register their financial resources and election expenses, and the executive board is also allowed to "audit and address" these resources. The bill limits election expenses to four categories and prohibits "providing cash and non-cash assistance and services to individuals by the candidate or on their behalf." This bill also obligates candidates to open a bank account as the "only" place for depositing and withdrawing their election expenses, and the examination of this account by the responsible authorities will be "permitted." Regarding the supervision of the Guardian Council over the elections, the Minister of Interior stated that each of the executive and supervisory areas in the elections has its own responsibilities, and the Ministry of Interior will act according to the law as the executor of the elections. The Ministry of Interior and the Guardian Council have had disagreements over which is the "executor" of the elections and the definition of "executive and supervisory" duties. Mr. Rahmani Fazli added that in the supervisory area, considering the Guardian Council's supervisory oversight, they are trying to ensure that no one's rights are violated, to maintain balance in the elections and to preserve individuals' dignity in both private and public spheres. Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli described the changes made to the election law in the parliament as "appropriate" and stated that "these changes mainly addressed ambiguities in the two elections for the Assembly of Experts and the parliament." He explained that previously these two elections had separate mechanisms, which have now been unified. The tenth parliamentary elections and the fifth Assembly of Experts elections are scheduled to be held simultaneously on March 7. The Islamic Consultative Assembly has 290 seats and the Assembly of Experts has 86 seats, and according to the law on the consolidation of elections, these two elections must be held on the same day. The Minister of Interior of Hassan Rouhani's government stated regarding the electronic conduct of these elections that "90% of elections have been held electronically so far, but we have never been able to conduct elections electronically in metropolitan areas for voting and counting. In this round, the government intended to conduct the final 10% electronically, but due to budget constraints, elections will only be held electronically in 9 metropolitan areas, which account for almost 50% of the total votes in the country." Mr. Rahmani Fazli did not name these metropolitan areas. He also added that in both software and hardware aspects, they needed to cooperate with the Guardian Council, and hardware devices have been ordered and are being produced, while discussions regarding the software are still ongoing with the Guardian Council. The location and number of provinces where the elections on March 7 can be held electronically and the use of transparent ballot boxes have been a point of contention between the government and the Guardian Council. The Iranian Minister of Interior, in response to a question about party activities, stated, "We are seeking to create suitable conditions for party activities with the expansion of party activities and rule of law." He also referred to two surveys conducted by his ministry, stating that these surveys have provided necessary information regarding the general trends and demands of the public based on their geographical context. Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli's remarks about facilitating the expansion of party activities come at a time when Iranian parliament representatives voted on November 1 to amend provisions of the party activity plan, which states that "effective members of dissolved parties" will be barred from establishing a party for five years. This plan also prohibits those convicted of security crimes from establishing a party indefinitely. The Islamic Participation Front and the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization are major reformist parties that have been declared dissolved following protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election.