Guardian Council: Hassan Rouhani Must Be Reapproved for Next Term

The spokesman of the Guardian Council reiterated the possibility of rejecting Hassan Rouhani's candidacy, stating that the president's qualifications are limited to four years, and he must be reapproved for the next term. Abbasali Kadkhodai, in an interview with the weekly "Mosalaseh" published on Sunday, April 1, responded to a question about Rouhani's candidacy announcement after meeting with the Supreme Leader, saying, "We are following our own path." Kadkhodai announced that the approval of all candidates for parliamentary and presidential elections is "limited to that four-year term." He added that the previous statements of the Guardian Council regarding the president's qualifications pertain to the past four years. The spokesman of the Guardian Council also stated that his remarks are a discussion of a "completely legal" issue and should not be interpreted politically. On January 5, 2017, Kadkhodai had also stated that the council always reviews the qualifications of "incumbent" presidents during their second candidacy, and there is "no guarantee" that an "incumbent" president will be reapproved. Ten days after these remarks, Nejatollah Ebrahimian, another member of the Guardian Council, said that legally there is no difference between the president and others, and the president's qualifications could also be rejected. In response, some reformist figures, including Feyzollah Arab-Sorkhi, a member of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, considered the purpose of raising this issue to be "weakening the spirit of reformists." Meanwhile, Mohammad Reza Tabesh, Deputy Chairman of the Hope Faction in Parliament, announced on February 5, 2017, that the "problem of rejecting Rouhani's candidacy" in the 2017 presidential election had been "resolved with the guidance of high-ranking officials of the system" and emphasized that the psychological warfare against the president aims to dissuade him from running in the elections. Tabesh did not provide further details about what he called the "resolution of the problem of rejecting Rouhani's candidacy with the guidance of high-ranking officials of the system." However, websites and political figures in Iran sometimes refer to the Supreme Leader as "a high-ranking official of the system" when they cannot explicitly name him. Rouhani does not have an "easy task ahead" to win the election. The Reformist Policy Council has supported Hassan Rouhani in the 2017 presidential election. However, Masoud Pezeshkian, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, stated that Rouhani has "no simple task ahead" to win the election. He added, "On one hand, various problems have been attributed to this government, and on the other hand, there are internal problems among his supporters, which can be weaknesses for him." According to Pezeshkian, if the government can present its strengths "transparently" and "show that it has stabilized a sinking ship and is moving forward with power, it can regain the people's trust." He also mentioned that Rouhani's government "does not care for those who worked hard for his rise to power and supported the government." The Deputy Speaker added that in the presidential election, both reformists and conservatives will have candidates, and the candidate from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's faction "does not have the necessary support to create a third pole in the electoral campaign." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, confirmed on September 27, 2016, that he told Ahmadinejad that it is "not advisable" for him to participate in the upcoming elections. However, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a statement supporting Hamid Baqai's candidacy, stated that he is "determined" to perform his "political and social duties" in such a way that, unlike in 2013, "qualified individuals" are not excluded from the "circle of selection." Meanwhile, Nasser Imani, a conservative figure, stated on April 9 that Ahmadinejad's support for Baqai "is actually explicitly contrary to the Leader's advice, as it polarizes the electoral atmosphere." Baqai, known as one of Ahmadinejad's closest associates, was arrested last June on charges of "embezzlement" and was released in January of the following year. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman of the judiciary, explained that Baqai's case is still open, but this alone will not lead to his disqualification, and he may have an open case and the Guardian Council may approve his candidacy. Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Guardian Council stated that the Supreme Leader's order not to allow Ahmadinejad to run will not be "extended" to his associates, and their qualifications will be assessed "within the framework of their own situation." According to reports, Ahmadinejad's activities in support of Hamid Reza Baqai have intensified, and his speech in Ahvaz has drawn criticism. On April 2, Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Ahvaz: "Those who think the nation does not understand are the most ignorant people on earth. What kind of monarchy has emerged in some people... mobilizing to tell the nation that subsidies are bad and should not be given? 97 percent want something, why are you against the nation? 80 million people do not understand, you understand, this nation brought you to power." While some of Ahmadinejad's close associates, including Ali Akbar Javanfekr, have identified Rouhani as the target of these remarks, some conservative figures, including Mohsen Rezaei, consider the Supreme Leader to be the addressee of these remarks. In this context, Ahmadinejad refrained from providing a clear response regarding interpretations of his recent speech in Ahvaz in an interview with a reporter from the Spanish news agency "EFE." In this context, the Minister of Labor called Baqai's electoral promise to increase subsidies a "big lie." Boroujerdi: Ahmadinejad's group's activities in the elections are not serious. Mohsen Rezaei: Ahmadinejad should retract his statements. How effective is the opposition's boycott of the elections? Special page for the 2017 elections. Follow news and reports related to the 2017 elections on the special page of Radio Farda.