Sadegh Amoli Larijani Appointed as Head of the Expediency Discernment Council

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, appointed Sadegh Larijani as the new head of the Expediency Discernment Council on Sunday, January 9. This appointment comes less than a week after the death of Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, who previously held the position. In his decree, Khamenei referred to Shahroudi's passing and the 'necessity of quickly organizing the council's components,' appointing Sadegh Larijani to this role and also as a member of the Guardian Council. Khamenei praised Larijani's experience in the Guardian Council as 'prominent and valuable' and described his management of the judiciary as 'diligent, scholarly, and sincere,' expressing hope that 'with the active and scholarly presence of the esteemed members of the Expediency Discernment Council and the effective role of the secretariat under the supervision of the council's presidency, the responsibilities assigned during this period will be carried out with utmost confidence and in the best manner.' The Supreme Leader added that 'given the importance of the responsibilities in the council and the Guardian Council, it is expected that in due time, with the organization of affairs in the judiciary, he will be dedicated to the mentioned critical responsibilities.' With this new appointment, Sadegh Larijani, in addition to leading the Expediency Discernment Council and the Iranian judiciary, also heads the board of trustees of Imam Sadiq University. The European Union had previously barred seventeen Iranian officials, including Sadegh Amoli Larijani, from entering its countries due to their roles in severe violations of Iranian citizens' rights. During his presidency over the judiciary, the detention of political activists and human rights defenders has intensified. The new head of the Expediency Discernment Council has been appointed rapidly, whereas the position remained vacant for about seven months after the death of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on January 9, 2017, and eventually Shahroudi was appointed on August 14 last year, who, due to cancer, did not have a significant presence in the council. Political analyst Saeed Barzin stated to Radio Farda regarding the objectives of Sadegh Larijani's appointment as the head of the Expediency Discernment Council: 'First and foremost, Mr. Khamenei's goal is to strengthen Mr. Larijani. He wants to bolster Larijani's position and keep him at the forefront.' He noted that 'Larijani has turned the judiciary into a political tool over the past decade and has a weak and perhaps unstable position in public opinion in Iran.' He added: 'While we are witnessing the empowerment of civil society today and people have greater and clearer expectations from the government, Larijani's appointment as a right-wing figure who is fundamentally opposed to change distances the leadership from the masses; that is, strengthening Sadegh Larijani will come at the cost of alienating public opinion from the leadership.' Sadegh Larijani is the brother of Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and Mohammad Javad Ardeshir Larijani, the head of the Human Rights Headquarters of the judiciary. His other two brothers hold diplomatic and academic positions. The appointment of the new head of the Expediency Discernment Council coincides with an increase in the supervisory role of this body, which has faced protests in Iran, including from members of parliament and its president. According to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, parliamentary decisions must be approved by the Guardian Council, but in case of disagreements between this council and the parliament, the Expediency Discernment Council acts as the final arbiter. However, there has been a change in this process for several years, with a 15-member group in the Expediency Discernment Council, known as the 'High Supervisory Board,' reviewing parliamentary decisions in light of the 'general policies of the system.' The Guardian Council has also recently communicated the objections raised by the 'High Supervisory Board on the implementation of the general policies of the system' regarding parliamentary decisions to the Speaker of the Parliament for rectification. Previously, Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and some representatives have described this action as the establishment of a 'second Guardian Council' and the formation of a 'Senate.' Currently, the bill to amend the Anti-Money Laundering Law and the bill for Iran's accession to the Palermo Convention (the convention against transnational organized crime) are pending resolution in the Expediency Discernment Council. These two bills are among the four related to the Financial Action Task Force's blacklist against money laundering, aimed at reducing pressure on Iran's financial transactions with other countries. Meanwhile, reports have emerged in recent weeks regarding the possibility of Ebrahim Raisi's presidency over the judiciary, as Sadegh Larijani's term as head of the judiciary will end next summer. The head of the judiciary is appointed by the Supreme Leader for a five-year term, with no restrictions on reappointment, but no one has held this position for more than two five-year terms. Raisi has been active in the Iranian judiciary for over three decades and is mentioned as one of the perpetrators of the largest massacre of opponents of the Islamic Republic in the summer of 1988. He is also the custodian of the Astan Quds Razavi and was a candidate in the 2017 presidential election, where he lost to Hassan Rouhani.