Rouhani Calls for Engagement with the World at the Opening of the 10th Parliament

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, at the opening ceremony of the 10th term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, called for engagement with the world to achieve appropriate economic growth. According to the news network's information portal, Rouhani stated: "There are many countries whose human talent and material resources are lower than ours; however, they have better economic growth." He emphasized that "in the past two decades, we have not seen a country that has achieved appropriate economic growth and suitable employment without engaging with the world." The Iranian President added that "under the shadow of a resilient economy and suitable growth, if we achieve the 5% growth target this year, it will not be sufficient for our employment needs" and "to reach an 8% growth, we must pay attention to the requirements of 8% growth, one of which is an investment of $30 to $50 billion from foreign sources." He also called for fewer plans and more bills to be presented in the 10th Parliament and for the opinions of "academics" and research centers to be utilized in the approval of laws. Majid Ansari, the parliamentary deputy of the Iranian president, on Saturday, May 18, referred to the submission of 481 plans and 222 bills to the 9th Parliament, stating that the Constitution considers the submission of bills by the government to the parliament as the "principle," but the number of plans submitted by representatives has exceeded that of bills, and "the cycle has reversed." The 10th term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly began on Saturday morning, June 8, with the presence of several officials of the Islamic Republic. Some managers of Rouhani's government have expressed hope that with the coming into power of the 10th Parliament, which reportedly has an increased number of representatives supportive of the government, cooperation between the government and parliament will increase. In a message to the opening ceremony of the 10th Parliament, Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, named "realizing a resilient economy" and "expanding and deepening Islamic culture" as two "immediate priorities" of this parliament. Khamenei also pointed to the increasingly complex regional conditions, stating that "your revolutionary and legal duty, dear representatives, is to make the parliament a strong bastion against the tricks and deceptions and the audacious greed of imperialism and a brilliant point of support for the faithful and revolutionary people." After the nuclear agreement in Vienna, Khamenei has repeatedly warned about what he calls "America's efforts to infiltrate decision-making centers" in Iran and has called for the implementation of a "resilient economy," a term used to describe an economy independent of foreign countries, especially during sanctions. The Iranian Minister of Interior, in the opening ceremony of the 10th Parliament, provided a report on the elections held on February 26, 2016, stating that election laws "need reform and revision." Rahmani Fazli also referred to the "different interpretations" of the Ministry of Interior and the Guardian Council regarding the law, concerning the situation of Minou Khalighi, the third elected representative from Isfahan, adding: "Necessary legal actions, including referring the matter to the relevant authorities and the Islamic Consultative Assembly for clarification, are being pursued, and we are still waiting for a legal resolution of the matter." The issue of the "annulment" of the votes of the third elected representative from Isfahan has recently been referred to the "High Council for Resolving Disputes and Regulating Relations between the Three Branches of Government," and Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, has reported that the opinion of this council is "closer to that of the Guardian Council." According to Guardian Council officials, of the 290 seats in the 10th Parliament, three seats will remain vacant until the mid-term elections, and the status of five seats is still unclear. After the "annulment" of Minou Khalighi's votes, the annulment of votes in the Bandar Lengeh constituency, and the death of the elected representative from Maragheh in a car accident, the representatives for these three seats will be elected in the mid-term elections in 2017. According to Guardian Council officials, the elections in Ahar "need inspection" and the second round of elections in Tabriz for the remaining four seats "need recounting."