Guardian Council Secretary Acknowledges 'Vote Buying' Prevalence in Elections

The Secretary of the Guardian Council has acknowledged the prevalence of 'vote buying in elections' and warned about the parliament becoming 'a center for capitalists.' He stated that the council is working to address certain issues, including 'vote buying' in the 2017 elections. According to Tasnim News Agency, Ahmad Jannati announced on Sunday, July 31, that 'there have been issues both in the qualification process and in the execution and voting day, especially regarding the issue of vote buying,' and the Guardian Council will strive to rectify past issues in the 2017 elections. He further admitted that 'vote buying is becoming common' and concluded that this issue 'will make the Islamic Consultative Assembly a center for capitalists and wealthy individuals, where anyone with more money can enter the parliament.' Jannati's remarks come in the wake of comments made by Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, in March 2015 regarding the 'influx of dirty money' related to drug trafficking into elections, which sparked protests from several members of parliament. Rahmani Fazli clarified in a public session that he did not mean that 'dirty money' is currently entering politics, but rather intended to warn about the potential for such money to enter elections. Previously, a confession letter from Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's deputy, regarding the expenditure of 1.2 billion tomans for 170 candidates in the eighth parliamentary elections from the account of an individual named Jaber Abdali, who is implicated in the Iran Insurance embezzlement case, had also made headlines. Meanwhile, Najatollah Ebrahimi, the former spokesman for the Guardian Council in 2015, stated that the issue of individual contributions to parliamentary candidates 'is not legally organized and needs to be regulated.' According to current Iranian laws, candidates for parliamentary, presidential, and city council elections are not required to disclose their electoral expenses. This comes as the Iranian government presented a bill for 'transparency of financial sources and electoral expenses' to the parliament last year before the parliamentary elections, which has yet to be approved. Additionally, the Secretary of the Guardian Council's statements regarding the prevalence of vote buying come despite the council's rejection of reports by Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi about widespread vote buying and fraud in the 2009 presidential elections. The Guardian Council confirmed two controversial presidential elections in 2005 and 2009 despite protests from some candidates regarding electoral fraud. Reports indicate that at least six of the twelve members of the Guardian Council, who are responsible for overseeing elections, supported Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential elections.