Mohammad Yazdi's Request for Clarification on Women's Candidacy for Presidency

The spokesperson for the Guardian Council announced Mohammad Yazdi's request, the secretary of the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary, for an interpretation of the term 'political-religious man' within this council. Abbasali Kadkhodai stated this in an interview with Mehr News Agency on Tuesday (September 12). Kadkhodai had previously mentioned on August 10 that the indicators of 'political-religious man,' which is one of the criteria and characteristics of the President in Iran, were under review. However, this time he announced that Mohammad Yazdi, a member of the Guardian Council and secretary of one of the most conservative political-religious organizations in Iran, has officially made this request. Many women's rights activists believe that the legislator's intention behind 'man' was not limited to men, and women can also be considered political figures and thus become president. They are calling for a redefinition of this term, the removal of unwritten prohibitions, and the facilitation of women's presence in high political positions and public management. According to Mehr, the spokesperson for the Guardian Council stated that regarding the interpretation of the term 'political-religious man,' 'in addition to the sessions of the Guardian Council Research Institute, three detailed sessions have been held in the council chamber, and discussions have been examined preliminarily.' He added that in the last session, Mr. Yazdi formally requested an interpretation of Article 115 of the Constitution, which... Given the Guardian Council's obligation in part 5 of clause 10 of the general policies of elections to interpret the political-religious man, ultimately, the indicators of political, religious, and managerial competence will be established. As Kadkhodai announced, the Guardian Council's opinion on the concept of 'political, religious, and managerial man' will eventually be announced in the form of a 'interpretative opinion' of this council. He also added that 'due to the breadth of the discussions, the final time for presenting this opinion is currently unspecified.' According to Article 115 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, the President must be elected from among 'political and religious men,' but the definition of a political man and who qualifies as such has always been contentious. Some political activists believe that the Guardian Council should present the concept of a political man based on 'legal or customary' definitions, while others support a 'jurisprudential definition.' Some also argue that the Expediency Discernment Council should decide on the definition of a political man. Having executive experience, acceptability, political reputation, expertise, etc., are other characteristics attributed to a political man, and some experts state that merely having a university education does not qualify an individual as a political-religious man. The website Entekhab published a note from Bahman Kashavarz, a well-known Iranian lawyer, in which he wrote, 'The term religious man is entirely ambiguous. Is a religious man someone who has reached one of the degrees of ijtihad as an absolute or partial jurist? Or does someone who performs prayers and fasts and adheres to their religious obligations fall under this definition?' Mr. Kashavarz also wrote about the political man that 'the same ambiguity and issue exists in this term. Is a political man someone who is, for example, a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Interior and, in summary, ministries with predominantly political activities? Or can a professor of diplomacy and the history of political schools and constitutional law be considered a political man?' This attorney also added that 'on the other hand, the reality is that probably more than 90 percent of adult Iranian men consider themselves politicians and political men.'