Iran's Interior Ministry: No Activity License Issued for the National Unity Party Yet

The spokesperson for Iran's Interior Ministry stated that the activity license for the "Islamic National Unity Party of Iran" has not yet been issued, and if the inquiries regarding some members of the central council are negative, the composition must be revised. The Islamic National Unity Party of Iran held its first congress in Tehran on August 20, where Ali Shakouri Rad was elected as the first secretary-general. On September 1, Hossein Ali Amiri, the spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, told Mehr News Agency that "the activity license for the National Unity Party has not yet been issued, and if the inquiries about some members of this party's central council are negative, the current composition of the central council must be revised." He stated, "The process works such that the establishment permit is issued by the Article 10 Commission of Parties, but the issuance of this permit is a necessary condition for forming a party, and the sufficient condition is the issuance of the activity license by the Minister of Interior." According to him, "If the inquiries about one or several members of the National Unity central council are negative and these members have been convicted or banned from social and political activities, the current composition of the central council must be revised." In the elections on August 20, 30 members were elected to the central council, including names such as Azar Mansouri, Ali Tajernia, Hamid Reza Jalaeipour, Fatemeh Rakeei, Hadi Khaniki, Jalal Jalali Zadeh, Shams Wahabi, Ashraf Boroujerdi, Morteza Mobalegh, and Valiollah Shoja Pourian. The Islamic National Unity Party of Iran requested a permit from the Ministry of Interior and the Article 10 Commission of Parties in July 2014, and this permit was issued on April 20 of this year, but the formation of this party has drawn criticism from conservatives. Opponents of the National Unity Party have introduced this organization as a counterfeit version of the "Islamic Participation Front," which has been banned by the judiciary. The composition of this council, some of whose members have a history of judicial convictions, has been another target of attacks against this party close to reformists. The newspaper "Kayhan" two days after the first congress of the mentioned party harshly attacked this organization in its front page, stating that "the traitors of the 2009 sedition have come with a new mask." The newspaper "Javan," close to the Revolutionary Guards, also referred to this party as "Participation Party 2" in its editorial, emphasizing that "Participation Party 2 is the same as Participation Party 1," stating that "past experience shows that we should not wait for the next sedition." Meanwhile, reformist political activists have rejected these accusations; for instance, Abdollah Ramazanzadeh stated that "the National Unity Party is neither Participation nor a continuation of Participation! Rather, it is a group of like-minded friends, some of whom have been good and thoughtful friends of ours in Participation, who have formed a new party to continue reformist movements within the framework of the law and the Islamic Republic system, considering legal regulations." "The hardest task is to interact with the Guardian Council." In the same vein, Ali Shakouri Rad, the secretary-general of the National Unity Party of Iran, explained the positions and policies of this party at a press conference on Tuesday, stating that the hardest task for this party is to interact with the Guardian Council and added: "We will try to get closer to this council and eliminate prejudices." Mr. Shakouri Rad identified Mohammad Khatami, the former president, as the axis of reforms and added that they will interact and cooperate around this axis. Mr. Shakouri Rad, whose statements were broadcast live on the Twitter page of the "National Unity Party of Iran," stated that he doubts this reformist party will enter into an alliance with "moderate" conservatives. This former parliament member also emphasized that his party advocates for "positive discrimination" for women, with 25% of the central council being women, stating that "a campaign has been launched to send 100 women to the next parliament across Iran, and he has also joined this campaign."