Non-Public Session of Parliament to Review Interior Ministry Directive; "Tension in Public Session" During Ahmad Vahidi's Entrance

Following controversial and election-related letters from the Interior Ministry of the Islamic Republic to governors, mayors, and district governors, as well as the collection of signatures for the impeachment of the Minister of Interior, a member of the Parliament's presiding board announced the holding of a "non-public session of Parliament" to review the recent actions of Ahmad Vahidi. Ruhollah Motahhari Azad, a member of the Parliament's presiding board, stated at the beginning of today's session to the Tasnim news agency that this non-public session would be held "with the presence of the Minister of Interior." According to him, the topic of this session is likely to be the review of the recent directive from the political deputy of the Interior Ministry regarding "the non-cooperation of governors and mayors with representatives in the final year of the eleventh Parliament." The political deputy of the Interior Minister of Ebrahim Raisi's government and the head of the election headquarters had requested in a letter to the provincial, district, and municipal authorities to prevent the entry of members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly into "executive affairs" in the final year of this Parliament and the months leading up to its elections. This directive provoked reactions from members of Parliament. In response to this letter, members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly initially demanded the dismissal of the "head of the country's election headquarters" and, after the Interior Ministry's silence, announced the collection of signatures for the "impeachment" of Ahmad Vahidi. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated on June 29 in response to some representatives' objections to this controversial directive that he had raised this issue the previous day (June 28) and that the Minister of Interior had amended the June 11 directive. On the other hand, Rajab Rahmani, a member of the Parliament's Program and Budget Commission, stated that "more than 100 representatives" signed the impeachment letter for Ahmad Vahidi, and "more than 200 representatives" are also "in favor of his impeachment." Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that during today's public session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior, faced criticism from several members of Parliament upon his arrival. Iranian media reported at the end of this non-public session, quoting Mohammad Rashidi, a member of the Parliament's presiding board, that "the Minister of Interior promised the representatives that he would change the political deputy and the head of the election headquarters as soon as possible." The laws related to conducting elections in Iran have always been contentious among the participating parties, and despite numerous changes in recent years, a comprehensive law that is inclusive and without controversy has never been drafted and implemented. Opposing and critical political activists consider the electoral laws in the Islamic Republic to be outside the framework and international standards that guarantee a free, fair, and just election. On the other hand, as the time for the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections approaches, the efforts of government figures to enter or remain in Parliament have intensified. In this context, since the last elections held for the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2019 and then the presidential elections in 2021, public turnout at the polls has significantly decreased, reaching "below 50 percent" according to official statistics.