Ali Soufi, head of the coalition of reformists in Tehran, denied the existence of disagreements among reformists regarding Mohammad Reza Aref's presidency of the 10th Islamic Consultative Assembly. According to Mr. Soufi, an agreement for the presidency of the 10th Parliament was reached among reformist leaders, including Mr. Hashemi, Rouhani, and the former reformist president, and the consensus has been that Aref should lead the next parliament. As reported by Tasnim, the head of the reformist coalition states that currently, over 90% of the composition of the 10th Parliament consists of reformists, with 124 elected representatives being reformists, and at least 40 more are expected to join from the next round. Therefore, it is illogical for the parliament to be in the hands of reformists but to assign its presidency to someone else. If the composition of the parliament requires us to form a coalition, then we will make other decisions; however, if we do not need to form a coalition and have the majority of votes, Aref will undoubtedly be the next speaker. Ahmad Hakimipour, a member of the reformist policy council, also stated that reformists reached a consensus on Aref's candidacy for the presidency of the 10th Parliament in their latest internal meeting. Mehdi Mahdavi Azad commented on the political significance of this news and whether reformists will be able to regain the presidency after several terms, stating that it is still too early to speculate about the next speaker. Meanwhile, Ali Larijani's invitation to the elected representatives of the 10th term to Tehran has drawn criticism. Nira Akhavan Bi-Taraf, during an oral reminder in the open session of Parliament on Tuesday, addressed the Speaker, saying that we are witnessing that airplane costs are being covered for the elected representatives of the 10th Parliament while the preservation of public assets should be observed. The fate of the next Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly will be clarified after the second round of parliamentary elections in the coming weeks.
Will Mohammad Reza Aref Become the Next Speaker of Parliament?
Ali Soufi confirmed that Mohammad Reza Aref is the consensus candidate for the presidency of the next parliament among reformist leaders, with a significant majority of reformists expected to be elected. The outcome of the next speaker will be determined after the upcoming parliamentary elections.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Ali Soufi confirmed that reformist leaders have reached a consensus on Mohammad Reza Aref as the candidate for the next Speaker of Parliament, given the expected majority of reformists in the new parliament. The final decision will be made after the upcoming parliamentary elections.
- Over 90% of the new parliament is expected to be composed of reformists.
- The outcome of the speaker election will depend on the results of the second round of parliamentary elections.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
The Islamic Consultative Assembly, or Majles, is Iran's national legislative body, where political factions vie for influence. Reformists have struggled to maintain power against conservative forces in recent years.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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Translation confidence: 85%