Motahari Criticizes Proposal for Guardian Council Oversight of Parliament Members Again

Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, on Saturday, November 8, criticized the proposal for the Guardian Council to oversee the work of parliament members, stating that "the parliament's job is oversight... and it cannot have another overseer." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in section 13 of the 'General Policies of Elections' issued in the last week of October, called for "the necessary mechanisms to ensure the proper execution of representative duties, adherence to the oath, prevention of financial, economic, and moral abuses, and necessary actions in case of the loss or discovery of the absence of the conditions of parliamentary representation in the elected." Following the publication of this directive, the spokesman of the Guardian Council stated that from now on, the council's "oversight" over parliament members will be "continuous" and will continue even after the approval of credentials. Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, also emphasized on November 4 that "oversight of representatives should not be ceremonial" and expressed hope that with the implementation of the 'General Policies of Elections,' there would be "better" oversight of parliament members. However, on the same day, Ali Motahari reacted to these positions from the members of the Guardian Council, stating that oversight of parliament members' opinions during their term would "destroy their freedom and independence" and that representatives would become "sycophantic and obsequious." In a renewed criticism of the issue of Guardian Council oversight over the parliament, according to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Mr. Motahari emphasized that oversight by another authority over the parliament would have "many drawbacks." According to Ali Motahari, one of these drawbacks would be that representatives would become "conservative" in expressing their true opinions and votes. He stated: "Moreover, since the parliament's job is legislation and oversight... it cannot have another overseer." He continued: "If the Guardian Council is to oversee the parliament, then another authority must oversee the Guardian Council...." The controversy over the issue of oversight of parliament members in Iran continues, while the spokesman of the Guardian Council has acknowledged that even in the 'General Policies of Elections,' the authority overseeing parliament members has not been specified and "a law must be passed in this regard." Abbasali Kadkhodai regarding the 'Supervisory Board on the Behavior of Representatives' also said: "From a logical perspective, it does not matter whether the oversight authority is inside or outside the parliament." The Iranian parliament passed a law in 2012 titled 'Parliament Oversight on the Behavior of Representatives,' under which a 'Supervisory Board on the Behavior of Representatives' is formed in each parliamentary term. Actions related to the rights of parliamentary representation, such as expressing opinions and stating positions on domestic and foreign issues, are not subject to this law.