Disqualification of Representatives from the 'Revolutionary Parliament'; Ahmad Khatami Warns Against 'Questioning the System'

The preliminary results of the 'qualification status' of candidates for the upcoming Islamic Consultative Assembly elections were announced on Friday, November 10, revealing that several critical representatives from the 'Revolutionary Parliament' reported their disqualification. Masoud Pezeshkian, the current representative from Tabriz, who is close to the government reformists, announced his disqualification on social media, stating: 'My disqualification is based on clause 2 of Article 31, citing a lack of practical commitment to the sacred system of the Islamic Republic.' In addition to Masoud Pezeshkian, Ahmad Alireza Beigi and Alireza Monadi Sefidan, other current representatives from Tabriz, were also deemed unqualified and lacking 'practical commitment to the system' by the election executive board. Ahmad Alireza Beigi, another disqualified representative from Tabriz, was the first to raise the issue of '75 SUV car allocations for parliament members aimed at silencing the impeachment of the Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade.' He was accused of spreading falsehoods by the judiciary regarding this case and faced a ban on speaking in the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Gholamreza Nouri Qazaljeh, the representative from Bostanabad and head of the 'Independents' faction in parliament, also announced his disqualification on social media, stating: 'I will submit my objection to this result to a higher legal authority.' This parliament member opposed some proposals limiting civil liberties, including the so-called 'Protection of Users in Cyberspace' bill. Jalil Rahimi Jahangir, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament and vice president of the Independents faction, was another representative who reported his disqualification on Friday. He also wrote on social media: 'I heard about my disqualification from the executive board in Torbat Jam and will submit my objection to the supervisory authorities and the Guardian Council. If I am not confirmed by the end of the competition, I will leave this field forever.' Rahimi Jahangir had previously protested a severe ruling against a journalist who was sentenced to a year of exile in Torbat Jam following a complaint by Hamid Rasai, stating: 'It has been made clear that until now we were criminals and in exile. We prefer to remain in exile for the rest of our lives rather than be aligned with people like Rasai...' He also responded sharply to several comments under his post, stating: 'The problem is ours for remaining silent and respecting you value-displays while you have brought calamity upon our people and country. I officially apologize to the turnip because it has beneficial properties while you value-displays are the most useless beings in the world, and your work is to insult, destroy, and read the funeral prayers for national interests and security.' Mohammad Khodabakhshi, the current representative from Aligudarz, was also disqualified on Friday. He wrote on social media: 'What happened in the executive board of Aligudarz regarding me was not in accordance with legal and religious standards and was influenced by the narrow-minded thoughts of individuals who openly stated in the meeting that the city should be taken from the Lor people.' Jalal Mahmoudzadeh, the representative from Mahabad, also announced his disqualification in an interview with the Jamaran website, stating: 'This incident is based on the same report published a few months ago in the Iran newspaper, which stated that several critical representatives should be dealt with. This is a political action and not based on legal documentation.' Mohsen Islami, the spokesperson for the country's election headquarters, stated on Friday that with the conclusion of the qualification review of candidates for the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections in the executive boards, results would be announced to the candidates from that day. Ahmad Khatami, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, described the disqualifications as 'natural' but warned those who are disqualified, saying: 'Those who are not deemed qualified should act in a manner befitting intellectuals and not question the system.' He also called for 'a glorious election with maximum participation' from the people in the upcoming elections in Esfand this year. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also referred to the elections in Esfand as 'very important' and stated that 'the enemy's artillery' is engaged in 'electoral bombardment.' The elections for the eleventh term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly were held on February 21, 2020, and were recognized as the least participatory elections in the history of the Islamic Republic. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the then Minister of Interior, announced the average participation in this election as 42.57 percent. Two years later, the presidential election faced 'boycotts' and low public turnout, which officials of the Islamic Republic attempted to attribute to the country's COVID-19 situation.