Jannati: The Government Has No Right to Interfere in Elections

Only hours after Hassan Rouhani's warning about interference and bias in the elections, Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, emphasized that the government "has no right" to interfere in elections and warned that the government and the Ministry of Interior "cannot" lean towards a "specific political current." He also mentioned that objections to the results of the 2009 presidential election are among the issues that will be given "serious attention" in the vetting of candidates for the upcoming elections, stating that the Guardian Council "has no right" to approve the qualifications of individuals whose "backgrounds are unclear." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Ahmad Jannati on Saturday, June 9, deemed the positions of some officials as "inappropriate for the electoral atmosphere." He added without referring to any specific individual or group: "Sometimes these individuals declare that if we win the parliament, we will remain in our positions, and otherwise we will lose our positions; such statements are unacceptable." The Secretary of the Guardian Council stated: "The government and the Ministry of Interior cannot lean towards a specific current." He emphasized: "Unfortunately, some of our officials do not hide their political inclinations and openly declare that they are affiliated with a specific political current. Can a party member act impartially in the execution of elections?" Jannati's statements come at a time when reports indicate that at least six members of the 12-member Guardian Council, responsible for overseeing elections, supported Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2009 presidential election. Jannati himself praised the "hardworking" and "diligent" government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before the presidential election on April 5, 2009, warning about the rise of a president close to the enemy. In this context, Mohsen Ismaili, one of the legal experts of the Guardian Council, also stated on Thursday, January 1, 2015, that some members of the Guardian Council overstepped their bounds as judges in the 2009 elections and "violated the law." Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in the parliament, also deemed the support of some Guardian Council members, including Ahmad Jannati, Mohammad Yazdi, Mohammad Momen, and Gholamhossein Elham for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the protests against the 2009 election results as a mistake. Hours before Jannati's remarks, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, considered the support of the "government, IRGC, army, state media, governors, and Friday prayer leaders" for candidates as "poison for the elections." Meanwhile, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior of Iran, and his political deputy, Mohammad Hossein Maqimi, also emphasized the government's neutrality in the elections on Saturday. According to ISNA, Rahmani Fazli stated: "Certainly, we as the government and organizers of the elections do not support any group and will not support any faction." According to IRNA, Maqimi also stressed the government's neutrality in the elections, adding: "Continuous reminders have been given to all department heads to avoid bias towards any specific candidate, and they have also been told to respond to rumors surrounding any event through the media." "Sometimes mistakes have been made for which we have repeatedly sought forgiveness from God." However, the Secretary of the Guardian Council acknowledged in another part of his remarks on Saturday that "mistakes" have been made and that they have "sought forgiveness from God for these errors." He also stated that the Guardian Council "has no right" to approve the qualifications of individuals whose "backgrounds are unclear" and that they investigate these individuals without reaching any conclusions. Jannati had previously emphasized that citing the principle of presumption of innocence in approving qualifications has "no legal backing." Meanwhile, Najatollah Ebrahimi, the spokesman for the Guardian Council, also emphasized on Tuesday, January 1, 2015, that the principle of presumption of innocence does not apply in the process of reviewing candidates' qualifications. The Guardian Council announced its supervisory role in the elections as "discretionary" during the fourth parliamentary elections following changes to Iran's electoral law, and in each parliamentary election, it has rejected the qualifications of several candidates due to not meeting the conditions. "Serious attention to the issue of sedition in reviewing individuals' qualifications." The Secretary of the Guardian Council emphasized in his remarks on Saturday that the issue of what he called "sedition" will receive "serious attention" in the review of candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections. According to Fars News Agency, he added: "The issue of sedition is a current issue, and the leadership has also stated that sedition is our red line; therefore, this topic is not old and forgotten." Jannati pointed out: "The seditionists are still present and have not abandoned the issue, and sometimes they occupy certain positions and offices, and those who give these positions to them will have to answer on the Day of Judgment." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and his close associates refer to the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election as "sedition."