Khodkhodai: According to the Leader's Directive, the Guardian Council's Oversight on Representatives Will Be Continuous

The spokesperson for the Guardian Council states that based on the general policies of elections communicated by the Leader of the Islamic Republic, the Council's "oversight" on parliamentary representatives will now be "continuous" and will continue even after the approval of their credentials. Abbas-Ali Khodkhodai, the spokesperson for the Guardian Council, said on November 1 during a television program that "the electoral conditions have undergone transformations because social conditions have changed, and accordingly, laws must also evolve in step with these changes." Khodkhodai mentioned that it must be seen whether representatives will maintain the "conditions" desired by the political system of the Islamic Republic during their four-year term. The spokesperson stated that "based on the supervisory oversight, the Council has this oversight during the individual's four-year term, but what was implemented was that the powers of the Guardian Council lasted until the approval of the elected representatives' credentials." According to him, in paragraph 13 of the general policies communicated by the Leader of the Islamic Republic, "the necessity of continuous oversight on the conditions and the proper execution of representatives' duties - which was not mentioned in the electoral laws - is stated." The "general policies of elections" were communicated by the Leader of the Islamic Republic at the end of October. These policies include new provisions in the laws, among which are "transparency of electoral expenses," prohibition of military or security forces' interference in elections, or as Mr. Khodkhodai mentioned on November 1, "oversight on electoral promises." Regarding this directive, it is noteworthy that current representatives of the Iranian parliament have stated that the Council cannot disqualify an elected individual or invalidate their votes after the validity of the elections in a constituency is announced. The Islamic Consultative Assembly passed a resolution on October 25 stating that "after the final and definitive opinion of the Guardian Council is announced... this Council cannot make any further comments regarding the qualifications of the candidate or the elected individual." According to most representatives who voted positively for this resolution, "if new documents regarding the elected individual reach the Guardian Council, these documents will be reviewed according to Article 30 of the Internal Regulations of the Islamic Consultative Assembly during the examination of the elected representatives' credentials." However, this resolution, which emphasizes the issue of credentials and their examination in the parliament, must also be approved by the Guardian Council. Minou Khalighi was one of the elected representatives from Isfahan who managed to enter the parliament in the tenth parliamentary elections, but the Guardian Council rejected her qualifications after the elections, despite confirming the overall results of Isfahan. Her case, according to an Iranian parliament member, has been closed by the order of the Leader of the Islamic Republic.