Warning About the Entry of 'Seditionists' into the Parliament and Assembly of Experts

Following the candidacy announcements of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Hassan Khomeini, and Mohammad Mousavi Bojnourdi for the Assembly of Experts elections, as well as the participation of reformists in the parliamentary elections, several Friday prayer leaders and appointees of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic warned about the entry of individuals they label as 'seditionists' into these two assemblies. Meanwhile, according to ISNA news agency, Kazem Sedighi, the interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran, stated in his sermon on December 20 that 'the Assembly of Experts should not be a place for sedition and seditionists.' The Supreme Leader and his close associates refer to the protests against the results of the 2009 presidential election as 'sedition.' Sedighi pointed out the protests regarding the Guardian Council's oversight of elections, adding: 'These issues indicate that there are news and people who want to come knowing their qualifications will not be approved.' The interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran also urged the Guardian Council to 'without any hesitation' not to approve candidates for the elections 'until their qualifications are properly established.' Mohammad Mousavi Bojnourdi, a well-known student of Ayatollah Khomeini and father-in-law of Hassan Khomeini, announced his candidacy for the Assembly of Experts elections on Friday, December 20. Mousavi Bojnourdi was a member of the Supreme Judicial Council from 1981 to 1989 and is a member of the reformist group of the Combatant Clergy Association. Previously, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former head of the Assembly of Experts, and Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, had announced their candidacies for the upcoming Assembly of Experts elections. Rafsanjani's qualifications were rejected in the 2013 presidential election. Meanwhile, since last year, some conservative clerics and close associates of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, have warned about the efforts of reformists and individuals close to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to participate in the Assembly of Experts elections. Among them, Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, has repeatedly warned that 'some are thinking of seizing the Assembly of Experts.' Additionally, Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly of Experts' board of directors, stated on February 13, 2015, that reformists would not succeed in forming a powerful minority in the next term of this assembly, and it would remain, according to him, 'velai.' Several Friday prayer leaders protested against the speeches on December 7, with the Tehran Friday prayer leader describing what he called the 'revival of sedition' in the speeches on that day at universities in Iran as 'regrettable.' Meanwhile, according to Fars news agency, Mohammad Ali Mousavi Jazayeri, the Friday prayer leader of Ahvaz, also said: 'In the run-up to the elections, care should be taken to avoid inviting problematic individuals for speeches at universities and also to refrain from extremist actions.' On December 7, several reformists spoke at various universities in Iran, and in recent weeks, some of their speeches have been attacked. Warnings about 'enemy infiltration' in Iran through the parliament have also been raised. Faezah Hashemi, a member of the Executives of Construction Party, described the disruption of reformists' meetings and speeches as a sign of 'fear' and 'concern' of conservatives about their victory in the upcoming parliamentary elections. In recent months, reformists have announced their participation in the parliamentary elections, while some close to the Supreme Leader and conservatives have expressed concern about their participation. Meanwhile, Gholamreza Safaei, the head of the ideological-political office of the Armed Forces Command, stated that 'we must be careful not to form another sixth parliament.' According to Tasnim news agency, he emphasized that 'the enemy is seeking to infiltrate the Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Consultative Assembly through elections.' Meanwhile, Asadollah Imani, the Friday prayer leader of Shiraz, also warned about what he called 'enemy infiltration' in Iran through the parliament. Imani called for those who, according to him, have relations with 'seditionists' or have not 'expressed their disavowal' from them not to be employed in the executive bodies of the elections. Previously, Ali Saidi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had described the change of the conservative parliament to 'another parliament' as a 'threat' to what he called 'the interests of the system' and also 'the ideals' of Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei. However, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on Friday called on 'all individuals interested in serving the people' to 'be present in the electoral arena.' In this context, Rouhani emphasized the need for elections to be held 'legally and healthily' in the country.