Sadegh Larijani: Those Who Are Not Qualified Should Not Participate in Elections

Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, on Monday, April 2, urged those who do not consider themselves 'qualified' as stated in the Constitution not to run in the upcoming presidential elections in May. He also requested the Guardian Council to adhere strictly to the law regarding the approval of candidates. According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Larijani stated that it is the duty of all candidates and their supporters to 'observe ethical principles' in the upcoming elections. He added, 'If individuals do not consider themselves qualified as mentioned in the Constitution, they should not even attempt to run for candidacy.' The head of the judiciary also expressed that 'our expectation' from the Guardian Council is to act according to the Constitution in evaluating candidates' qualifications, as it has done in the past. In every presidential election in Iran, hundreds of candidates emerge, but usually, fewer than 10 are approved. In the 2013 presidential election, besides hundreds of unknown figures, about 40 prominent political figures, including several members of parliament and former ministers, ran, but ultimately only seven were approved. Previously, Abbasali Kadkhodai, the spokesman for the Guardian Council, mentioned the possibility of disqualifying Hassan Rouhani, stating that the president's qualification is limited to four years, and he must be re-approved for the next term. Kadkhodai had also stated that the Council always reviews the qualifications of 'incumbent' presidents during their second candidacy, and 'there is no guarantee' that an 'incumbent' president will be re-approved. Ten days after these statements, another Guardian Council member, Najatollah Ebrahimi, noted that legally there is no difference between the president and others, and the president's qualification could also be rejected. In response, some reformist figures, including Feyzollah Arab-Sorkhi, a member of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization, argued that the discussion aims to 'weaken the morale of reformists.' The Guardian Council spokesman also mentioned in an interview that the Supreme Leader's directive not to allow Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to run is not 'extended' to his associates, and their qualifications will be assessed 'within their own circumstances.' Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's executive deputy during his presidency, who announced his candidacy for the May elections, was arrested in June 2015 on charges of 'embezzlement' and was released in January of the following year. Meanwhile, some political figures, including Mostafa Tajzadeh, a member of the Participation Front, have predicted that Baghaei will be disqualified. In contrast, Ahmadinejad, in a statement supporting Baghaei's candidacy, said he is 'determined' to perform his 'political and social duties' in a way that 'qualified individuals' are not excluded from the 'circle of selection,' unlike in 2013. Additionally, ILNA news agency reported on Monday that Ahmadinejad is set to hold a press conference, although the timing has not yet been specified. In recent weeks, Ahmadinejad's statements and actions alongside Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Hamid Baghaei have provoked protests from some conservatives and members of Hassan Rouhani's government. Meanwhile, the newspaper Jomhouri Eslami referred to these three as 'adventurers of the new year' and wrote: 'The demagogic statements of the former president and the mockery of governance methods in the country, along with a targeted letter from his close ally to the leader of the reformist movement requesting implicit unity against conservatives and some other statements in cyberspace, indicate a new sedition aimed at portraying the performance of governments associated with both left and right as ineffective.' Recently, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei criticized prominent reformist figures in a letter to former President Mohammad Khatami regarding their attacks and criticisms. In recent days, Ahmadinejad's speech in Ahvaz has also sparked protests. On April 2, he stated: 'Those who think the nation does not understand are the most ignorant people on earth. What kind of royalty has emerged in some individuals... you are mobilizing to tell the nation that subsidies are bad and should not be done? 97 percent want something, why are you going against the nation? 80 million people do not understand, but you do; this very nation brought you to power.' While some close associates of the former president, including Ali Akbar Javanfekr, have identified Hassan Rouhani as the target of these remarks, some conservatives, including Mohsen Rezaei, believe the remarks were directed at the Supreme Leader. Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad refrained from providing a clear response regarding interpretations of his recent speech in Ahvaz in an interview with the Spanish news agency EFE.