Dispute Over the Right to Legislate; Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution: The Entrance Exam Resolution is Not Related to the Parliament

The dispute between the Parliament and the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution over the 'right to legislate' continues, with the Parliament attempting to cancel the 'entrance exam resolution' of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution by passing an urgent bill. However, the Secretary of this council stated that the Parliament can only express opinions and that the council's resolution will not be revoked. Abdolhossein Khosrowpanah, Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, reacted to the Parliament's proposal to cancel the council's resolution regarding the entrance exam by telling the IRNA news agency: 'Members of Parliament have the right to express opinions, but the entrance exam resolution will not change at all.' He indirectly indicated support from the Guardian Council, stating that the Guardian Council would oppose this proposal even if the Parliament approved it. According to him, the resolution is 'limited to this Education Committee of the Parliament' and 'will definitely not go to the floor because it contradicts Article 57 of the Constitution.' Khosrowpanah cited the membership of Baqer Qalibaf in the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution and his alignment with the council's resolution as one reason why the resolution would not go to the Parliament's public session. These statements come amid ongoing opposition from members of the Parliament, particularly from the Education Committee, who have consistently argued that the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution 'cannot legislate' and 'only has the authority to set policies in the field of science and technology.' If any law regarding changes to the entrance exam is to be enacted, it falls within the Parliament's jurisdiction, and the council is obliged to implement the Parliament's law. The disagreement over the legal status of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution and its resolutions has persisted for years. Some argue that legislation is exclusively the domain of the Parliament based on various principles of the Constitution, deeming the continued activities of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution unjustifiable due to its undefined status in the Constitution. Conversely, others consider its establishment and activities as part of the powers of the Supreme Leader under Article 110 of the Constitution, equating its resolutions with 'law.' Recently, on April 30, following a complaint, the 42nd branch of the Supreme Court issued a 'significant ruling' regarding the jurisdiction of courts, stating in clause 7 of the ruling that 'the generalization of law or its extension to regulations established by other government units, including the resolutions of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, lacks legal basis and legitimacy from the perspective of the Constitution.' Nevertheless, in previous disagreements, Saeed Reza Ameli, the former secretary of the council, emphasized that according to Ali Khamenei, 'the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution is one of the legal and definitive institutions of the system, and its resolutions are enforceable,' hence the resolutions of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution 'can only be revoked by the Leader's order.' Earlier in 1401, the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution approved changes to the entrance exam, the impact of academic records, and the elimination of general courses with a two-stage entrance exam. With the President's notification, the 1402 entrance exam will be implemented according to the new resolution of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, a resolution that the Parliament's proposal seeks to amend. Internet shutdowns did not prevent the leakage of entrance exam questions; several individuals were arrested. Reports indicate that entrance exam questions were sold for up to one billion tomans. Ongoing controversies surround the national university entrance exam; questions were sold for up to one billion tomans. A member of Parliament revealed cheating in the entrance exam: questions were bought and sold for up to one billion tomans.