Zolnouri: If the Parliament is Closed for a Year, No One Would Care

Mojtaba Zolnouri, the second deputy speaker of the 11th Islamic Consultative Assembly, acknowledged the weakening position of the legislative branch in the Islamic Republic, stating that "if the Parliament is closed for a year, no one would care." Zolnouri, who is also considered a candidate for the presidency of the 12th Parliament, mentioned in a meeting with the elected members of the 12th Parliament on Sunday: "Today, the Parliament is not in its rightful place. Wherever there is a discussion of legislation, it pertains to the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and this power must be returned to the Parliament to regain its position at the top of affairs." His remarks were accompanied by criticisms of Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of the 11th Parliament, stating that if a representative wants to impeach a minister, "the presiding board intervenes and prevents the impeachment," and that "even the internal regulations of the Parliament are not being implemented today." He then added: "If the Parliament is closed for a year, no one would care. There must be a transformation in the Parliament to bring about change. A change is urgently needed for a more efficient Parliament than before." The 12th Islamic Consultative Assembly elections were the least attended in the history of this Parliament. The first round of the 12th Parliament elections was held on March 2 last year, with only 41% of eligible voters participating. In Tehran, the official figure reported was only 26%. The participation rate in the second round of these elections also sharply declined, with major cities like Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, and Shiraz seeing participation between 6% to 9%, indicating a continuous decline in the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic and a shrinking social base. Zolnouri also referred to the decrease in public participation in the 12th Parliament elections, stating: "The population that did not come to the polls is upset and has complaints. There is a group that cast blank votes, saying we accept the country, we adhere to the velayat-e faqih and values, but we do not accept you; we did not see you worthy of our vote. We clearly understood this issue. The reasons for the people's dissatisfaction must be examined." The 12th Parliament will commence its work in June this year, and it seems that the widespread disputes among principlist groups during the election days will also spill into the Parliament, especially over the composition of the presiding board.