Presidential Elections: Will Women's Exclusion Come to an End?

The recent comments by the spokesperson of the Guardian Council regarding the possibility of women registering as candidates for the upcoming presidential elections is a significant event; as it marks a potential shift after 37 years of the Islamic Republic's establishment, indicating that women may not face issues in announcing their candidacy for the presidency, at least in a general sense. However, this does not imply the approval of female candidates, as the Guardian Council's interpretation of the term 'political man' has not officially changed. Khabazadeh, the spokesperson of the Guardian Council, also emphasized that 'the issue of political man has not yet reached a final conclusion in the Guardian Council.' Will there be a woman on the final list of approved candidates by the Guardian Council, and more precisely, accepted by the Supreme Leader, in the 1396 presidential elections? The number of well-known women who have registered to run in presidential elections is not large. Azam Taleghani, a national-religious activist and a representative in the first parliament, and Rafat Bayat, a principlist activist and representative from Zanjan in the seventh parliament, are two notable candidates from previous presidential elections who were both disqualified based on the Guardian Council's interpretation of 'political man.' The recent comments from the Guardian Council's spokesperson coincide with increasing unofficial news about the potential candidacy of Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi (a principlist activist) for the upcoming elections; a rumor that, if realized, would not only transform the upcoming elections into a different and more exciting competition but would also carry its own specific consequences. Where is the ambiguity? If there is ambiguity, it relates to the interpretation of Article 115 of the Constitution; where it states that the president 'must be selected from among the religious and political men.' The Guardian Council, dominated by traditional clerics appointed by the Supreme Leader and the presence of legal experts aligned with the regime's top authority, has so far reduced the interpretation of 'political man' to gender. Political competence and civil activism have been marginalized in the Guardian Council's interpretation, manifesting in the disqualification of women who registered to participate in the presidential elections. Mohammad Yazdi, who is considered the most prominent figure in the Guardian Council after Ahmad Jannati, stated during the qualification review of presidential candidates in 1392 that 'the law does not allow women to become president.' Will the interpretation of political man change? Last month, the Supreme Leader announced the 'General Policies of Elections' after consulting with the Expediency Discernment Council and reviewing and approving it. In one of the sections of this announcement, under the title 'Enhancing the Selection of Qualified Candidates in the Islamic Republic,' it emphasized the 'definition and announcement of the necessary criteria and conditions for determining the political, religious, managerial, and prudent characteristics of presidential candidates by the Guardian Council.' It is not unexpected that within this framework, the Guardian Council may revisit its interpretation of the concept of 'political man.' Although, as Naghshollah Ebrahimi, a moderate legal expert in the Guardian Council, states, changing the interpretation of this concept and defining it anew is not an easy task. However, if a new interpretation occurs, a significant event will have taken place in the Islamic Republic, which could serve multiple purposes for the principlists. Given that the principlists lack a well-known candidate and seem to struggle to reach a consensus on a candidate, the potential candidacy of Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi could significantly influence the election atmosphere. The approval of a woman in the upcoming presidential elections would yield at least three outcomes for the ruling authoritarian regime in Iran. First, it would reduce internal and external pressures regarding women's rights; a criticism that has been directed at the government from various angles, especially concerning mandatory hijab. Second, it would increase citizen participation, especially among women, in the elections and heat up the electoral competition; an event that could significantly overshadow the bitter memory of the 1388 elections following the three recent important elections (the 1392 presidential election, the 1394 parliament, and the Assembly of Experts). This situation would undoubtedly be desirable for the core of power. Lastly, it poses a serious threat to the potential victory of Rouhani; if a woman's candidacy does not lead to a principlist victory and cannot prevent the continuation of the moderate government, it could at least result in a weak victory for Rouhani. This situation would hinder Rouhani's confidence in action and management in his second term. The only female candidate for the upcoming elections? If the Guardian Council changes the requirement of being male for presidential candidates, it seems that Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi is the only option that would pass the Guardian Council's 'supervisory oversight' and also gain the approval of the regime's top authority. Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi is a well-known principlist with a medical degree, currently serving as an advisor to the head of the judiciary. She has a record of two terms in parliament (the fourth and fifth terms) and served as Minister of Health in Ahmadinejad's second government. She has also been appointed by the Supreme Leader to the Board of Trustees of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, effectively carrying the endorsement of the top of the political system. She is currently the spokesperson for the 'Popular Front of Islamic Revolutionary Forces,' a coalition formed by a range of principlists for participation in the upcoming elections and has been active for several weeks. For traditional clerics in the Islamic Republic, who have not been willing to appoint a woman as a minister, a female president is not acceptable or approved. From this perspective, the work of the Guardian Council and the top of the political system in announcing the candidacy of women is not easy. If women are allowed to run, and if someone like Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi becomes a candidate, the opposition (reformists) will also find opportunities for action in this context; Masoumeh Ebtekar, the Vice President and head of the Department of Environment, is just one potential option in the reformist camp. The candidacy of women in the upcoming elections could also lead to the emergence of a new wave of women's demands in the country; as even if Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi's candidacy is finalized and approved, questioning her about the 'gender segregation in hospitals' or her opposition to Iran's joining the 'Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women' will help raise public awareness about women's rights. This situation, overall, will be positive and beneficial for the equality movement and women in Iran. Furthermore, if the Guardian Council changes its interpretation of the concept of 'political man,' the number of specialized and active women who will line up to register will not be small. The disqualification of registered women candidates will make the issue of 'supervisory oversight' even more apparent to public opinion and will raise questions, making the gap between Iranian elections and the standards of 'free, fair, and just elections' more evident to a larger number of citizens.