Hashemi Rafsanjani Criticizes Dual Standards in Vetting Candidates

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, has once again protested the disqualification of candidates for the parliamentary elections, criticizing the dual standards in the vetting process, stating that the 'filter' for candidates should not be 'impenetrable for some and easy for others.' According to Hashemi Rafsanjani's website, on Sunday, January 24, he expressed hope that 'the relevant authorities will perform their roles well with reason, faith, and humanity' to ensure a 'vibrant and epic' election. He also pointed to the 'constant contradiction of the hardliners with American Republicans,' adding that 'they only united during the opposition to the eleventh government's plans to resolve the nuclear issue, and the aware and hopeful people knew they would face bad waves on this path and were prepared for all kinds of support for the government arising from the nation.' On Tuesday, January 17, Rafsanjani had described the widespread disqualification of parliamentary candidates as 'an infringement of the people's rights.' He warned last Wednesday that 'ignoring the people's demands will have bad consequences for the Islamic Republic in the long run.' According to Hossein Marashi, spokesman for the Construction Workers Party, out of three thousand reformist candidates, 'only 30,' or 'one percent,' have been approved. Reports have also emerged regarding the potential disqualification of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, in the Assembly of Experts elections. The Tabnak website reported that according to the election schedule for the fifth Assembly of Experts, candidates will be informed of their vetting results on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 25 and 26. Meanwhile, the Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, announced on Sunday that Hassan Khomeini's candidacy for the Assembly of Experts was rejected while Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's was approved. However, this news was deleted shortly after its publication, and hours later, the Guardian Council's public relations requested media to refrain from publishing 'speculations and rumors' about the election process. Previously, some news sites, including the 'Payesh' website and the National Trust Party's site, had reported that Hassan Khomeini's candidacy for the Assembly of Experts was approved. The 'Payesh' site stated that 'at least three religious authorities had sent messages to the Guardian Council, affirming Seyyed Hassan Khomeini's qualifications and warning against the possibility of his disqualification.' At that time, the Fars news agency quoted 'an informed source' in the Guardian Council denying reports about the approval of candidates for the Assembly of Experts elections. In a letter to the congregational leaders in Tehran, Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, head of the Mosque Affairs Center, referred to the role of the Assembly of Experts and the parliament in 'controlling passive movements inclined to capitulate to the front of imperialism' and called for clarification of the Supreme Leader's statements regarding 'influence.' In this letter, published on Sunday by the ISNA news agency, he asked the congregational leaders in Tehran to announce 'the main criteria for selecting the best candidates through understanding revolutionary and anti-revolutionary movements' from the mosque pulpits. He also requested that they express their 'consultative opinions' to visitors and introduce 'reliable lists' to them. The head of the Mosque Affairs Center also requested to avoid 'secular, political, party, and ethnic' influences in the elections for the Assembly of Experts. He did not mention any specific political groups or 'reliable lists,' but previously, the Jomhouri Islami newspaper had reported without naming that 'a eulogist stated that ... we have organized three thousand eulogists in Tehran to compensate for the bitterness of the JCPOA in the elections.' The Supreme Leader has repeatedly warned about what he calls America's attempts at 'influence' in Iran's decision-making centers following the Vienna nuclear agreement.