Implicit Warning from Hashemi Regarding the Integrity of Parliamentary and Assembly Elections

The head of Iran's Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, has issued an implicit warning about the integrity of the upcoming elections for the Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stating that the "clique" nature of candidate vetting is "unacceptable" and that the "integrity of supervisory and executive forces" is among the "most essential things" for the people. In an interview published on Sunday, December 20, in the Arman newspaper, Hashemi Rafsanjani deemed the "integrity" of the Assembly of Experts elections as "more necessary" than that of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, asserting that if these elections are "not acceptable, it will undermine our Islamic system." He expressed hope that "rationality will prevail so that the current good and secure atmosphere is not made unsafe due to baseless fears and that whatever the people want can happen." He referred to Iran as the "safe island of the region" and added that this state should not be disrupted by alienating public opinion, especially among the youth and educated classes. He emphasized that "violating the law" in the vetting process for candidates is "absolutely inappropriate" and warned that it is "dangerous to make people suspicious of the country's management process." He stated, "I don't think others are so short-sighted as to disturb this calm for the sake of a position or title." Prior to the elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts, some members of the Guardian Council and conservatives have spoken about the possibility of disqualifying reformists who protested the results of the 2009 presidential election. Meanwhile, some of the Supreme Leader's appointees, including Reza Taqavi, head of the Policy Council of Friday Prayer Leaders, have declared that they will not allow the formation of a parliament similar to the sixth parliament with a reformist majority. In this context, Ali Saeedi, the Supreme Leader's representative in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also stated in June of this year that changing the conservative parliament into "another parliament" is a "threat to the interests of the system" and the ideals of Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei. However, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has called on "all figures interested in serving the people" to "participate in the election scene." In this interview, Hashemi Rafsanjani referred to the upcoming elections for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts as "among the most sensitive elections" in the history of the Islamic Republic. He reiterated that the "integrity" of the Assembly of Experts elections could be even more crucial than that of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. He stressed that "the relationship between the people and the leadership is intimate, and this cannot continue unless a passionate, comprehensive, and acceptable election occurs with the majority of people's participation; if it is not acceptable, it will undermine our Islamic system." He mentioned his "official invitation" to Hassan Khomeini to run for the Assembly of Experts, saying, "I told him that you cannot be neutral and must enter. However, some friends who work with him say you should not become a target for political attacks." Hassan Khomeini has announced that he will participate independently in the Assembly of Experts elections. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's candidacy for the 2013 presidential election was rejected. Nevertheless, he has announced that he will run for the Assembly of Experts. Following the announcement of candidacies by Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Khomeini, and Mohammad Mousavi Bojnourdi for the Assembly of Experts elections, as well as the announcement of reformists' participation in the parliamentary elections, several Friday prayer leaders and appointees of the Supreme Leader have warned against the entry of individuals they label as "seditionists" into these two assemblies. For instance, Kazem Sedighi, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, requested that the Guardian Council "without any fear" not approve candidates for the elections "until their qualifications are properly verified." Since last year, some conservative clerics and close associates of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have warned about the efforts of reformists and individuals close to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to participate in the Assembly of Experts elections. For example, Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts' board, stated in February 2015 that reformists will not succeed in forming a powerful minority in the next session of this Assembly, which will remain "velai" (loyal to the leadership). In another part of this interview, Hashemi Rafsanjani stated that the Supreme Leader has "several times" requested his return to Friday prayers, but he has declined. He added, "I do not consider it expedient now. Suppose I go to Friday prayers this week, and the streets fill up like during my last sermon. In that situation, limitations were created that could not meet all the people." The head of the Expediency Council stated that "based on reliable information," he learned that "pressure groups" intended to disrupt his potential Friday prayer ceremony. He added, "I saw that in this atmosphere, I cannot be the Friday prayer leader who tells the truths to the people weekly. On the other hand, there are individuals who do not like me because they felt my sermons would fill the streets." Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, in his last Friday sermon on July 26, 2009, called for the release of those arrested after the elections, consolation for the victims, and the provision of an environment for expressing different views in the state media of Iran. In that Friday prayer, protesters against the results of the 2009 presidential election chanted slogans that security forces dispersed with tear gas and batons. Reza Taqavi, head of the Policy Council of Friday Prayer Leaders in Iran, stated last year in an interview that this council and security forces "controlled Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's last Friday prayer in 2009 with tooth and nail." Taqavi also stated in April 2013 that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's return to Friday prayers in Tehran is out of the question. In another part of his remarks, Hashemi Rafsanjani said that his son, Mehdi, intended to go on a "dry hunger strike" in protest against the "lack of broadcast" of his trial, but he stopped him from doing so. Mehdi Hashemi Rafsanjani reported to Evin Prison on Sunday, August 8, to serve his sentence. He has repeatedly requested the "complete and unedited" broadcast of all his trial sessions by the Islamic Republic's state media.