Return of the 'Seventh Development Plan' Bill to Parliament; Guardian Council Raised Over 350 Objections

A comprehensive review of the Guardian Council's objections to the 'Seventh Development Plan' bill by Voice of America reveals that the council has raised objections to over 80 articles of the bill, including 256 instances of 'ambiguity', 86 instances of 'contradiction with the Constitution', and 8 instances of 'contradiction with Sharia'. After several weeks of reviewing the 'Seventh Development Plan', the Guardian Council deemed the parliamentary bill to have 'objections' and 'ambiguities', identifying some sections as unconstitutional. Hadi Tahan Nazif, spokesperson for the Guardian Council, today published a list of the council's objections and ambiguities regarding the 'Seventh Development Plan', indicating that the council has raised over 350 objections to at least 80 articles of the bill. In his weekly meeting, the spokesperson announced the referral of the 'Seventh Development Plan' back to Parliament for clarification of certain 'ambiguities', stating that 'the transfer of the registration organization to the Ministry of Justice was deemed contrary to Article 160 of the Constitution.' Tahan Nazif emphasized that the review process involved 'inviting the President and several ministers and deputies, the Speaker of Parliament and deputies, and other relevant managers and organizations.' Accordingly, it was announced that the Guardian Council 'had no issue with the principles of the provisions' but had ambiguities regarding details that were sent back to Parliament for correction. Voice of America's investigations into the ambiguities and contradictions identified by the Guardian Council show that one ambiguity pertains to non-financial convictions and cases where a judge ruled against the publication of the content of the ruling, which was deemed contrary to Sharia principles by the Guardian Council. Another issue, believed by analysts to have more political-security implications, is the notification of exit bans to all defendants, which was declared contrary to Clause 10 of Article 3 of the Constitution, emphasizing that this action has 'corruption' due to security reasons. Observers believe that the Guardian Council's objection to the notification regarding exit bans relates to political issues and political-security defendants, which could serve as a tool to maintain psychological pressure on them. The transfer of controlling and managerial shares of non-governmental public institutions and all pension funds was also deemed contrary to Clause 10 of Article 3 of the Constitution by the Guardian Council. Therefore, if this clause is amended, the government's ability to transfer managerial shares to quasi-governmental entities and security individuals will be restricted. The tax exemption for transactions in Iran's currency and gold exchange center has also caught the attention of the Guardian Council, which stated that any exemptions in cases not exempted by other laws are contrary to Article 75 of the Constitution. The 'asset generation' resolution, which was placed on the government's agenda by the Supreme Leader and was protected from any judicial oversight and follow-up, has been deemed ambiguous in the 'Seventh Plan', with the Guardian Council stating that this ambiguity concerns the expiration of the validity period of the 'asset generation resolution of government assets' and how the provisions are to be implemented, which 'must be clarified.' Investigations show that a significant portion of the Guardian Council's objections to the Seventh Development Plan, as the most important mid-term development document in the country, are related to editorial and spelling errors. Nevertheless, the increase in retirement age was a controversial topic in this bill to which the Guardian Council raised no objections, and thus it should be considered approved. A union official stated that with the implementation of the Seventh Development Plan bill next year, retirees' salaries will decrease by 20%. A researcher at the Parliament Research Center noted that two-thirds of the poor lack the ability to exit poverty. The head of the Planning and Budget Organization stated that the budget deficit is due to 'imposed obligations' in the Seventh Plan. An economic expert indicated that the income of the middle class will decrease 'monthly'. The Seventh Development Plan states that diesel will increase in a tiered manner starting from 2025. Protests regarding the livelihoods of retirees in Iran: both Parliament and the government are lying to the nation. A letter from the Tehran Provincial Councils Association to the Guardian Council stated that workers oppose the 'increase in retirement age.'