Isfahan Friday Prayer Leader: Opponents of Supervisory Oversight Are Children

Yousef Tabatabai-Nejad, the Friday Prayer Leader of Isfahan, stated that opponents of the Guardian Council's supervisory oversight are 'bearded children who have not yet grown up' and should not be 'fooled' by disqualified candidates who claim 'the principle is innocence.' According to the local website 'Saheb News,' Mr. Tabatabai-Nejad made these remarks during the Friday prayer on February 9 in Isfahan. He mentioned that those who have opposed supervisory oversight since the revolution 'have still not matured. They are bearded children who oppose supervisory oversight.' Based on Article 99 of the Constitution, the supervision of presidential elections, the Assembly of Experts, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and referendums in Iran is the responsibility of the Guardian Council. The issue of the Council's supervisory oversight, which has been a topic of contention between supporters and opponents for years, was first raised in 1991 when Gholamreza Rezvani, the head of the Central Supervisory Board of the Guardian Council, asked for the Council's interpretative opinion on this article. Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani, the then Secretary of the Guardian Council, responded that 'the supervision mentioned in Article 99 of the Constitution is supervisory and includes all stages of the electoral process, including the approval and disqualification of candidates.' The Friday Prayer Leader of Isfahan also confirmed the Guardian Council's method of oversight, stating that 'the duty of a supervising engineer of a building is to oversee the correct execution of the construction, not just to be aware of the problems but to show no reaction.' He described the view of some opponents of supervisory oversight, who argue that 'the Guardian Council should only be aware but not intervene,' as 'childish.' The representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Isfahan further stated that some are 'exploiting' the concepts of 'innocence' and 'non-qualification.' He noted that 'the issue of innocence is one of the specialized matters of the field that we discuss for hours, but some outside the field, who do not even understand it, use it.' The Imam of Isfahan warned the worshippers not to be misled by the principle of innocence as stated by some. He asserted that if someone who has not been confirmed is approved and later turns out to be a wrong person, it is a betrayal to society. He also cautioned against any 'insult' or 'undermining' of the jurists of the Guardian Council in speeches and interviews. The widespread disqualifications of candidates for the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts by the supervisory boards of the Guardian Council have once again brought the issue of supervisory oversight to the forefront of the political arena. Opponents view supervisory oversight as an 'innovation,' while supporters of the Guardian Council claim it is legal. Ali Khamenei also supported the actions of the Guardian Council in a speech at the end of January, stating that 'nowhere in the world is someone who does not accept the fundamental system of the country allowed into decision-making centers.' Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, on February 10, referred to the issue of the Guardian Council's review of candidates' qualifications, stating that it is necessary to prevent people from becoming disillusioned so that they participate in the elections.