The Twelfth Term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly Begins

The Twelfth Term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly began on Tuesday, June 7, with the presence of military and state officials. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic urged representatives not to waste the 'short time of the Assembly' on 'useless media competitions and harmful political disputes.' The commencement of this Assembly comes a week after the helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and six others. Images of these two former high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic were displayed in the new Assembly. Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, stated in a message on the occasion of the opening of the Twelfth Assembly that it should be 'calming and hope-giving' and 'inviting to solidarity and brotherhood in the public environment of the country.' He told the representatives that their 'main task' is to 'secure national interests' and that 'pursuing constituency issues should be done within the framework of a broader perspective on national issues.' Reports from Iranian news agencies indicate that during today's session, representatives took their oaths, and the senior leadership of the Assembly was elected. Aladdin Boroujerdi, aged 74, assumed the senior presidency of the Assembly. Mr. Boroujerdi entered the Assembly with about 40,000 votes from the Laristan, Khonj, and Gerash electoral district. The Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly is to be elected by Tuesday, and so far, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Mojtaba Zolnour, and Manouchehr Mottaki have declared their candidacy for this position. Mr. Qalibaf has held the presidency of the Assembly for the past four years. To remain in this position, he must compete with his hardline rivals in the Principlist camp. The two rounds of Assembly elections held last December and this May were ignored by many eligible voters in the country, with the first round reporting a participation rate of only 41 percent. The dominant composition of this Assembly is made up of hardline Principlists, which can be described as the most extremist Assembly in the history of the Islamic Republic and, at the same time, the most desirable Assembly from the perspective of the Supreme Leader. Reports indicate that the Principlists have secured about 200 seats in the Twelfth Assembly, but this does not mean they are united, and significant disagreements among the groups within it are expected to arise in the upcoming term. This faction entered the elections with three different organizations: the Coalition Council of Islamic Revolutionary Forces (Shana) and the Stability Front; Sharyan (Hamid Rasai), the Iran Morning Front (Ali Akbar Raefipour), and Amina; the Unity Council of Principlists, which includes traditional groups centered around the Clergy Society and the Coalition Party. Groups within this faction accused the opposing side of financial corruption and money laundering during both rounds of elections.