Member of the Clerical Society: Jannati Will Not Run for the Assembly of Experts Presidency

A member of the Combatant Clergy Society referred to the potential candidacies of figures such as Hashemi Shahroudi, Mohammadi Kermani, and Mohammad Momen for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, stating that Ahmad Jannati is not willing to run for this position. Hossein Ebrahimi, in an interview with the Entekhab website on Saturday, June 1, mentioned Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the current Vice President of the Assembly of Experts, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, Secretary General of the Combatant Clergy Society, Ebrahim Amini, former Friday Prayer Imam of Qom, Mohammad Momen, a member of the Guardian Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, and Ahmad Jannati, Secretary of the Guardian Council, as potential candidates for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts. He noted that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani had previously stated he would not run for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts and predicted that Ebrahim Amini would also refrain from candidacy due to his advanced age. Ebrahimi also mentioned that many have asked Ahmad Jannati to run for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, but he declined. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani had stated on Wednesday, May 29, that he currently does not intend to run for the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, saying, 'It is good enough for me to be present in this assembly.' Mohammad Yazdi, the president of the fourth term of the Assembly of Experts, did not succeed in being elected to the fifth term of this assembly in the elections held on February 26, 2016. Following Yazdi's failure to be elected, speculation arose regarding the presidency of figures such as Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, Mohammad Imami Kashani, Ebrahim Amini, and Ahmad Jannati in the fifth term of the Assembly of Experts. However, Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Assembly's presidium, previously stated that the future president of the Assembly of Experts 'will at least in the first two years be of the same caliber as Ayatollah Meshkini, Ayatollah Mahdavi Kani, Ayatollah Yazdi, and similar figures.' After the death of Ali Meshkini, the president of the Assembly of Experts in 2007, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani became the president of the Assembly of Experts. However, on March 8, 2011, following the events of the 2009 presidential election, Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani was elected president of this assembly for two years, and following his death in 2014, Mohammad Yazdi took over the presidency of this institution in competition with Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Concurrently with discussions about the presidency of the Assembly of Experts, Ali Larijani and Mohammad Reza Aref are mentioned as potential candidates for the presidency of the parliament. Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Vakili, the spokesperson for the Hope faction, announced that a meeting of this faction would be held on Wednesday, June 5, with one of its agenda items being voting for the candidates for the presidency of the parliament. Mohammad Reza Aref, the head of the Hope faction, also stated on Saturday that the faction's perspective is 'based on maximum interaction in the parliament' and hopes that the management of the tenth parliament will be selected 'with the cooperation of various factions and considering the qualifications and personal characteristics and abilities of individuals.' Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a reformist representative from the ninth parliament and elected to the tenth parliament, reported on Tuesday, May 17, that the Hope faction has formed a five-member group to discuss the selection of 'qualified individuals' for 'important positions in the parliament' with the conservative faction, but Ali Larijani and his close associates have not responded to the request for dialogue from this faction. Aref also expressed hope that the elected representatives of the 'Hope list' would adhere to their commitments, despite acknowledging that 'we have no controlling leverage and our only measure is ethics.' Earlier, Mahmoud Sadeghi, a representative from Tehran in the tenth parliament and a close associate of Mohammad Reza Aref, accused Ali Larijani of trying to attract members of the tenth parliament by offering 'facilities and privileges.' Aref himself warned on Thursday, May 30, about the 'interference' of security institutions in the affairs of the parliament and the election of its presidium. Some reformist figures, including Mohammad Reza Khatami, Ali Shakouri Rad, and Rasoul Montajebnia, have supported Aref's presidency of the tenth parliament. In contrast, some analysts close to the reformists, including Abbas Abdi, have deemed Aref's candidacy for the presidency of the parliament as highly risky.