The Clergy Faction of Parliament Accuses Rouhani of 'Creating Controversy' in Elections

In response to the criticisms made by the President of Iran regarding the disqualification of parliamentary candidates, the Clergy Faction of Parliament described these remarks as 'regrettable and distressing.' A member of the Qom Seminary Teachers Society announced that this group intends to give President Rouhani a 'formal warning.' In a letter to the President published on Tuesday, February 5, by the Fars News Agency, the Clergy Faction referred to Rouhani's statements as 'regrettable and distressing' and warned him to adhere to his 'oath' and avoid 'partisan positions.' The authors of the letter emphasized, 'There is also a suspicion that the government is creating such controversies to evade accountability for numerous economic problems and to cover up its major weaknesses, which should be said that these tricks have become outdated.' On February 1, Hassan Rouhani reacted to the disqualification of a large number of parliamentary candidates, stating that the supporters of these candidates number up to 10 million, and said, 'The parliament is the house of the nation, not a faction.' These remarks provoked a strong reaction from Hossein Shariatmadari, representative of the Supreme Leader in the Kayhan newspaper, as well as several Friday prayer leaders from Tehran, Mashhad, and Isfahan, and members of the Stability Front in Parliament. The Qom Seminary Teachers Society also warned 'officials' in a statement on Saturday that inflammatory and unfounded complaints leading to the 'weakening' of the Guardian Council would be an 'unforgivable sin.' Meanwhile, according to Rasa News Agency, Mohsen Faqihi, a member of the Qom Seminary Teachers Society, stated on Tuesday that this group intends to issue a 'formal warning' to the President. On Thursday, Hassan Rouhani also announced that he had tasked his first vice president with discussing the disqualification of parliamentary candidates with the Guardian Council, and officials from the Ministry of Interior have also reported discussions with the Guardian Council on this matter in recent days. Meanwhile, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, stated on Tuesday, 'In a meeting I had with the Guardian Council, it was decided that a representative from this ministry would continuously follow up on the issue through the Guardian Council.' According to ISNA, he referred to the objections of five thousand candidates regarding their disqualifications and added, 'Given the division of labor within the Guardian Council, members and expert working groups are distributing files and are currently reviewing requests for reconsideration.' Meanwhile, Ebrahim Yazdi, Secretary-General of the Freedom Movement of Iran, supported Rouhani's statements regarding the disqualification of parliamentary candidates, stating that 'the only way for Dr. Rouhani to confront the illegal policies of the Guardian Council is to refrain from holding elections.' He added in an interview published on the Kalemeh website, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, 'But does he, first of all, believe in such a policy? And secondly, does he have the possibility and ability to refrain from holding flawed elections? It cannot yet be stated with certainty.' A large number of reformist figures and representatives from the sixth parliament, including members of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization and the Participation Front, as well as reformists who were arrested in the 2009 presidential elections, have not registered as candidates for the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections. However, according to Hossein Marashi, spokesperson for the Executives of Construction Party, in Tehran, only five reformist candidates' qualifications have been approved, and in other constituencies, only 25 reformist candidates have been approved. While reactions to the disqualification of parliamentary candidates continue, Siamak Rahpeyk, spokesperson for the Central Supervisory Board on Elections, announced that by the end of Tuesday, the results of the qualification review for the Assembly of Experts candidates would be communicated to the Ministry of Interior. Meanwhile, according to ISNA, Rasoul Montajabnia, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trust Party, announced that his qualification for the Assembly of Experts elections has been approved. The approval of Mr. Montajabnia's qualification for the Assembly of Experts elections comes while reports indicate that his qualification for the parliament elections was rejected. In recent days, the issue of the qualification of Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, in the Assembly of Experts elections has made headlines. The Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on Sunday that Hassan Khomeini's qualification for the Assembly of Experts elections was rejected, while Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's qualification was approved. However, this news was deleted shortly after its publication, and hours later, the public relations office of the Guardian Council requested that media refrain from publishing 'speculations and rumors' about the election process. Several Iranian news agencies reported on Tuesday, citing 'a source close' to Hassan Khomeini, that no decision regarding the rejection or approval of his qualification has yet been communicated to the Ministry of Interior. Hassan Khomeini did not participate in the Assembly of Experts exam. Nejatollah Ebrahimi, spokesperson for the Guardian Council, in his latest remarks regarding candidates not participating in the Assembly of Experts exam, stated that the qualifications of candidates who did not participate might be 'established,' but the non-participation of candidates who do not meet the 'scientific level' required by the Guardian Council's jurists 'deprives them of the tools to establish their jurisprudence.'