Guardian Council to Hassan Rouhani: We Can Annul the Entire Election

Siamak Rahpeyk, a legal member and executive deputy of the Guardian Council, reacted to recent statements by Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stating that the Guardian Council, based on its "legal powers," can annul "the entire election." On Friday, August 30, Rahpeyk told Tasnim News Agency that "this is the meaning of oversight." The Iranian President had recently stated that the Guardian Council is "an overseer, not an executor," adding that "the one who should determine whether a person is qualified to participate in the elections or not is the executive board." The executive boards of elections operate under the Ministry of Interior and, consequently, the government. Rouhani also emphasized that "oversight and execution should not be mixed." In response to these remarks, the executive deputy of the Guardian Council stated that "the Constitution has entrusted the oversight of elections to the Guardian Council. Oversight is based on ordinary law and the interpretation of the Constitution and is effective." Rahpeyk stressed that the Guardian Council "oversees and decides based on the powers granted to it," adding that "in some cases regarding qualifications, it is explicitly stated in the laws that the Guardian Council and supervisory boards decide on the approval or disqualification of candidates at various stages." The legal member of the Guardian Council emphasized that "these are not interpretations of the law but the exact legal phrases." The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran assigns the oversight of presidential elections, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and the Assembly of Experts to the Guardian Council in separate articles. Accordingly, the Guardian Council has interpreted its oversight as "effective" and has disqualified thousands of candidates in various elections in the past. Throughout this time, in response to widespread criticism, the council has denied that its performance in reviewing qualifications is political and biased. Now, the executive deputy of the Guardian Council has stated that "interpretation of the Constitution is not subjective, and these are legal texts and explicit laws that have been implemented in these thirty-plus elections." Siamak Rahpeyk emphasized that "in some cases, according to the law and considering the powers of the Guardian Council, this council can even decide to annul the entire election," stating that "these are legal powers, and this is the meaning of oversight." Mohammad Dehghan, a member of the presiding board of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also referred to the Supreme Leader's remarks about "enemy infiltration into Iran after the nuclear agreement," stating that "one of the most important ways for enemy agents to infiltrate the system is through suggesting the ceremonial nature of the Guardian Council's oversight." Dehghan added in an interview with Tasnim News Agency: "Some, whether intentionally or unintentionally, are seeking to render the oversight of the Guardian Council ineffective and ceremonial, and they may not be aware of the consequences of this matter." Previously, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also referred to Rouhani's recent remarks as "the beginning of the erosion of the independence and dignity of the Islamic Republic" and accused the Iranian President of attempting to "weaken" the Guardian Council. The eleventh parliamentary elections will be held this winter. In this context, there are concerns about the "infiltration of former government members" into the supervisory boards of the Guardian Council.