Warning from IRGC Deputy on Repeating 'Banisadr Experience' if a 'Challenging' President is Elected

Two days after the military advisor to Ali Khamenei stated the necessity of electing someone whose views do not conflict with the Supreme Leader, the political deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also commented on the 'outcome' of the upcoming presidential election. Yadollah Javani, speaking at a 'clarifying and insightful' meeting titled 'Examining Electoral Issues' in Qom, said the 'quality' of this election is important because if the elected individual becomes 'challenging', it may lead to the 'bitter experience' of Abolhassan Banisadr. Abolhassan Banisadr was the first president of Iran after the 1979 revolution, opposing the monopoly of power by the Islamic Republic Party and the revolutionary institutions under their control. His presidency was marked by many tensions and he was ultimately impeached on the last day of Khordad 1360 and dismissed on the first of Tir. Javani further added: 'In such a situation, the enemy perceives our elections as potentially either reinforcing the resistance front or causing problems for it, as we have had governments with differing foreign policy perspectives.' The IRGC political deputy noted that the election on Tir 8 'can be a power-generating factor for the system, or it can be otherwise, as the enemy is also making efforts.' He did not, however, refer to the alleged 'enemy efforts' regarding the fourteenth presidential election in Iran. Javani indirectly referenced the decline in participation in recent elections in Iran, stating: 'The last three elections were not befitting for our country... This issue has led to the enemy's temptation to create disruption, meaning that when the enemy sees a decrease in public presence, it is tempted to create challenges.' Officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ali Khamenei, have called for increased participation and holding 'magnificent' elections without addressing the factors contributing to the decline in citizen participation in various elections, such as violent suppression of protests, unfulfilled electoral promises, lack of accountability from officials, economic pressures, and other factors. Javani's remarks are among the latest military positions regarding elections in Iran, where military personnel are constitutionally prohibited from interfering in politics and elections. However, military commanders introduce themselves as guardians of the Islamic Revolution and engage in discussions about elections in meetings they call 'clarifying-insightful', directing Basij forces on how to participate and select candidates aligned with the Supreme Leader's views. Yahya Rahim Safavi, assistant and advisor to the Supreme Leader, also explicitly urged participants in the fourteenth presidential election on Khordad 23 to 'choose' someone whose views do not 'conflict' with Ali Khamenei. He stated that the people should elect a president who 'considers himself the second person', adding that the head of the executive branch 'if he says this is what the leader says, I will say this, it causes problems in the country. The president should not create a bipolar situation.' The statements of these two high-ranking military commanders come at a time when the extensive interventions and powers of the Supreme Leader in all branches of government have led to the president being referred to as his 'agent' and 'contractor' in Iran. Abolfazl Ghadiani, a political activist opposing the government, wrote in a piece on the Zeyton website, close to the reformist movement in Iran, that the authoritarian behavior of the Supreme Leader has reached a point where 'the players and ad-hoc laws are determined piece by piece according to the whims of the current dictator of Iran, Ali Khamenei.'