Sadegh Larijani Criticizes Rouhani: 'The Guardian Council Must Stand Firm'

Sadegh Amoli Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, accused President Hassan Rouhani of making 'populist statements' and urged the Guardian Council to 'stand firm on the issue of elections, which is the fate of the country.' According to Mehr News Agency, Larijani stated on Tuesday, September 2, during a meeting of senior judicial officials in Iran, that he considers elections in Iran to be 'principally healthy' and defended the Guardian Council's 'supervisory oversight' in elections. The judiciary chief described the Guardian Council as 'a truly important and decisive institution in the Islamic Republic of Iran and responsible for overseeing elections,' stating, 'It is a mistake to say that this oversight pertains to the executive board's determination of qualifications; of course, that exists, but the oversight meaning that someone approves is with the Guardian Council, and this is very clear.' Hassan Rouhani had previously stated that the Guardian Council is 'an observer, not an executor,' adding that 'the one who should say whether a person is qualified to participate in elections or not is the executive board.' The executive boards of elections operate under the Ministry of Interior and thus the government. Rouhani also emphasized that 'oversight and execution should not be mixed.' His statements had previously provoked strong reactions from the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a member of the Guardian Council. Now, the head of the judiciary, who was previously a member of the Guardian Council's clerical jurists, stated, 'We should not raise issues that have been discussed for years and have already been answered, and sometimes one hears populist statements that are surprising.' Sadegh Amoli Larijani added, 'Oversight in the Guardian Council is carried out through any channel. It has been said that we do not have disqualification; this statement is false and incorrect. These statements are for someone who does not know the law.' In another part of his remarks, the judiciary chief criticized the formation of some new parties among reformists. Larijani said, 'Some individuals who were agitators during the 2009 unrest and some of them are convicted have now come with a new facade and are forming parties and want to enter the scene.' It seems that the judiciary chief's reference is to the first congress of the Islamic Iran Nation Alliance Party, which is mainly composed of members of the Islamic Participation Front. The Islamic Participation Front, which was one of the main reformist parties in Iran, was dissolved by Iranian judicial authorities after the controversial presidential election in 2009. Amoli Larijani stated that the function of the Guardian Council is that 'no one can enter the parliament, presidency, or Assembly of Experts with any wrongful description' and urged this institution to 'be alert and stand firmly on the values of the revolution.' The elections for the eleventh term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly will be held in the winter of this year.