Government Resolution for Electronic Elections of the Parliament and Assembly of Experts

The newspaper Qanoon published a report about the launch of a "campaign against the construction of the Imam Khomeini shrine" by the Fars news agency, along with Hamid Ansari's reaction to the controversies surrounding the tomb of the former leader of the Islamic Republic. The newspaper Iran reported on the government's decision to hold "electronic elections for the Parliament and Assembly of Experts." According to this newspaper, following recent electoral positions by Hassan Rouhani regarding the "necessity of holding free, competitive, and transparent elections," the cabinet took "a practical step in this direction and members of the government approved in a meeting on Sunday that the elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts be held electronically." The newspaper Jahan San'at reported on the "summoning of 50 environmental activists to a court in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari." This newspaper reported that "following increased protests by the people of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari regarding the transfer of water from the headwaters of the Karun River to the central plateau of Iran, nearly 50 environmental activists from this province were summoned to legal authorities." The newspaper Shargh highlighted the government spokesperson's statements regarding the media ban on Mohammad Khatami, quoting Mohammad Baqer Nobakht as saying: "His media ban is not related to the government." The newspaper Etemad published a field report from the construction site of the Shushtari highway in the Sarakhsar National Park, stating that "the construction of the highway was halted following a warning from the environmental department." While the Tehran Natural Resources Organization and the municipality of District 13 of Tehran had "agreed on the last days of the previous year to allow parts of the Shushtari highway to pass through Sarakhsar," Hadi Zakeri, the mayor of this area, told Etemad that "following the warning from the Tehran environmental organization that necessary permits must be obtained for the construction of this highway, the plan for the highway construction and the relocation of Sarakhsar trees was effectively halted." The newspaper Aftab Yazd dedicated its front page to Parviz Fattah, the new head of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, a former minister of energy in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's first government, and a successor to the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, evaluating the media campaigns close to conservatives for him as part of the "image-building of conservatives for the 2016 presidential election." The newspaper Aftab Yazd also published a front-page report on "the details of the presence of Iranian women traders in the USA," quoting one of the women present on this trip as saying: "They think Iranian women have no activity, nor do they have identification. Their perception of us was that of a Basij woman in Saudi Arabia." The newspaper Etemad reported on the "arrival of thousands of popular forces from Iraq and Lebanon to Syria to fight ISIS," simultaneously quoting Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, the external branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as saying: "The world will soon be surprised by the changes in the equations in Syria." The controversy over the "luxurious construction" of the Imam Khomeini shrine was also reported by Qanoon, which published a report about the launch of a "campaign against the shrine's construction" by the Fars news agency, along with Hamid Ansari's reaction to the uproar surrounding the tomb of the former leader of the Islamic Republic. The newspaper noted that "hardliners" have criticized the "luxurious construction" of the Imam Khomeini shrine, engaging in media manipulation, launching a campaign called "Reminding the Imam to the Imam Foundation" on social media, and "Fars news agency requested enthusiasts to share their thoughts with the hashtag 'Reminding the Imam to the Imam Foundation.'" Qanoon emphasized that the 26th anniversary of Imam Khomeini's passing has been affected by "some mischief and political revenge influenced by media manipulation," stating: "These issues are raised by those who have remained silent about widespread embezzlements in the previous government but consider the construction of a building for the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran to be costly and unnecessary." The newspaper reported that "the insults were repeated so much" that it drew the attention of the deputy director of the Imam Khomeini Foundation, with Hamid Ansari responding to the widespread criticism of the "luxurious construction" of the former leader's tomb, stating: "These criticisms stem from narrow-mindedness" and "anyone who cannot tolerate these matters is either envious or ignorant." Hamid Ansari, the deputy director of the Imam Khomeini Foundation, in response to the criticisms raised regarding the construction of his tomb, stated: "Until today, there has been no protest regarding this issue, and only discussions have been raised, with some fueling this matter for specific motives," while "this revolution needs a tent that serves as a gathering place for millions of people annually, which we hope to see on June 4." The deputy director of the foundation also stated: "Unfortunately, a false and irrelevant comparison has been made that juxtaposes the simplicity of the Imam with his shrine. Is the Imam alive to use this shrine?" and some have "compared it to a palace; is it not an injustice to the Imams to compare their shrines with the palaces of kings?" Regarding the response to criticisms of the "luxurious construction" of Imam Khomeini's shrine, he stated: "These are manifestations of the love and devotion of the people and those who wish to commemorate the Imam. Therefore, the more luxurious this shrine is, the more it signifies love for the Imam," and this tomb "is meant to be the center of the Islamic Revolution's identity, named after Imam Khomeini, and a home for the manifestation of the people's love, guided by the leaders and officials of the system, and created with the highest possible standards." The deputy director of the Imam Khomeini Foundation also mentioned the source of funding for the construction of the founder of the Islamic Republic's shrine, stating: "The funding for the construction of Imam Khomeini's shrine comes from public donations, offerings, the government, the parliament, and the initiatives taken by the shrine's officials," and in this process, "everyone helped shape and sustain this building." According to Qanoon, Hamid Ansari also stated that the building constructed at the Imam Khomeini shrine "does not even reach the ankles of many structures that are currently built for shrines whose movements and roles cannot be compared to that of the Imam." Hamid Ansari also stated that Imam Khomeini "is a figure for whom over 300,000 martyrs sacrificed their lives, and it is fitting that his name and memory be at the highest level." The cabinet's resolution for holding electronic elections for the Parliament and Assembly of Experts was reported by the newspaper Iran. According to this newspaper, following recent electoral positions by Hassan Rouhani regarding the "necessity of holding free, competitive, and transparent elections," the cabinet took "a practical step in this direction and members of the government approved in a meeting on Sunday that the elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts be held electronically." In the cabinet meeting chaired by Hassan Rouhani, the Ministry of Interior's report on holding electronic elections was discussed, and "the processes of conducting elections electronically and how to implement it were discussed and exchanged," and the cabinet approved the electronic execution of the upcoming elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts. This newspaper reported that the President, in the cabinet meeting, referred to the simultaneous occurrence of two important elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts this year, stating that "conducting elections properly is one of the most important political tasks of any government" and said: "The issue of holding electronic elections has been raised for a long time, and given the pilot implementation in several constituencies during the previous parliamentary elections and the necessary preparations and the electronic execution of elections based on the experiences of other countries and domestic experience is important." Ebrahim Beheshti, a reporter for the newspaper Iran, emphasized that "electronic or computerized elections are an important step to reduce or eliminate some electoral violations, expedite the counting process and announcement of results, and increase the transparency of elections." He wrote: "Many experts, political activists, and members of parliament welcome this new election method, which has been well-tested in other countries for years." The newspaper Iran also noted: "The cabinet's resolution for holding electronic elections, if not faced with obstacles, could fulfill the 16-year promise of electronic elections." However, this newspaper reminded that the cabinet's resolution comes while the head of the Ministry of Interior's Information Technology Center had previously announced: "Elections in 14 constituencies will be fully electronic, and at least in three thousand polling stations, electronic voting equipment will be installed." Amir Shajahan, speaking to governors on Sunday, said: "The overall process of conducting elections includes 25 processes and 80 steps, excluding the voting and counting stages, which will be conducted electronically." The newspaper Iran wrote that now "the cabinet's resolution, alongside the statements of the head of the Ministry of Interior's Information Technology Center, raises the question of whether the mentioned elections" will be held electronically in all constituencies or only in 14 constituencies and limited to preliminary stages that do not include voting and counting." According to this newspaper, "the operationalization of electronic elections, which has a 16-year history, also requires the approval of the Guardian Council as the supervisory body for elections, and it is unclear whether the cabinet's resolution was made following coordination and consultations with the members of the Guardian Council or not." The newspaper Iran also pointed out that "highlighting the lack of budget as the main obstacle to holding electronic elections comes at a time when previously, even when officials stated that there were no budgetary issues, elections were still held in the same traditional manner." The newspaper Jahan San'at reported on the "summoning of 50 environmental activists to a court in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari." This newspaper wrote: "Following increased protests by the people of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari regarding the transfer of water from the headwaters of the Karun River to the central plateau of Iran, nearly 50 environmental activists from this province were summoned to legal authorities." Jahan San'at noted that "the protests intensified when the people of Chahakhor held a symbolic mourning ceremony in protest against the drying of the Aluqreh spring, which had dried up due to the digging of the Sabzkouh tunnel," stating that this ceremony "for unknown reasons turned violent, and part of the Sabzkouh tunnel workshop was set on fire." This newspaper emphasized that "no official source has yet commented on this incident," citing "local sources" regarding the "arrest warrant for nearly 50 environmental activists" and wrote: "Previously, 100 environmental activists from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari had been arrested and interrogated for opposing the transfer of water from the headwaters of the Karun River to the central plateau." Jahan San'at also quoted "representatives from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari" as saying: "The public prosecutor's involvement in the water transfer issue is one of the ways to reduce the security repercussions" of this matter. According to this newspaper, "besides the people's dissatisfaction with the transfer of water from the Karun River to various provinces, representatives from the parliaments of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Khuzestan also believe that none of the water transfer projects in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari have legal validity due to the lack of necessary environmental permits." Mojtaba Gahestoni, a cultural heritage and environmental activist and journalist in Khuzestan, told Jahan San'at: "The confrontation with activists in social fields, including cultural heritage and the environment, is clumsy and primitive, which has no justification, as civic organizations have the duty to inform and address the concerns that have plagued the country." This cultural heritage and environmental activist emphasized that "for any reason, this negative confrontation is ultimately narrow-mindedness, and we have repeatedly witnessed that some have arbitrarily prohibited social activists from speaking, while "the goal of raising these issues is not to oppose the system but to help reform it." According to Mojtaba Gahestoni, "negative confrontations with environmental activists do not always discourage them; sometimes, it may lead to increased activism among environmentalists, and we, as supporters...