Shariatmadari's Protest Against Rouhani's Position on Disqualifications

The representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in Kayhan newspaper described Hassan Rouhani's stance on the widespread disqualifications as "regrettable," while the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary deemed the "weakening" of the Guardian Council as an "unforgivable sin." Hossein Shariatmadari, representative of Ayatollah Khamenei in Kayhan, in the editorial on Saturday, February 3, criticized the Iranian President's remarks regarding the extensive disqualifications of parliamentary candidates as "unexpected," "strange," "regrettable," and in "clear contradiction" with his statements during his electoral campaign. He also labeled Rouhani's assertion that "the real qualification belongs to the Iranian people" as "disrespectful to the nation and an insult to their intelligence," comparing it to saying that people do not need hospitals or doctors and that anyone who falls ill can go to whoever they wish. On Thursday, Rouhani reacted to the disqualification of a large number of candidates, claiming that their supporters number up to 10 million, stating that "the parliament is the house of the nation, not a faction." He implicitly indicated that parliament members, in addition to being "committed to the Constitution and the Guardianship (of the Jurist)," must also have the ability to solve problems such as unemployment, recession, and environmental issues. Rouhani emphasized that the assessment of candidates' qualifications should adhere to "the letter of the law, not personal whims." In response to this part of Rouhani's statements, Shariatmadari accused him of sitting in the "creditor's chair" instead of the "debtor's chair" due to the government's "weakness and incapacity" in solving these problems. He stressed that Rouhani's comments about candidate qualifications are based on "personal whims and are not mentioned anywhere in the electoral laws and regulations." On Friday, February 2, several Friday prayer leaders, including those in Tehran, Mashhad, and Isfahan, criticized Rouhani's remarks, with Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, stating that the Guardian Council "will not retreat in the face of uproar." Meanwhile, the Society of Teachers of Qom Seminary warned officials in a statement that "provocative and unfounded complaints" leading to the "weakening" of the Guardian Council are an "unforgivable sin." According to Fars News Agency, this group described "creating doubt in the results of qualifications" and "weakening" the Guardian Council as "treason to the ideals of the Revolution" and Ayatollah Khomeini, its founder, as well as "acting in accordance with the path set by global arrogance." The Society of Teachers of Qom also supported the Guardian Council's action in disqualifying candidates who, according to this group, "do not accept the essence of the system," emphasizing that the Guardian Council will act "decisively and fairly" in its sensitive duties in the upcoming elections. This pro-conservative organization is led by Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the Assembly of Experts and a member of the Guardian Council. In recent days, apart from reformists and figures like Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council, some conservative clerics, including Abbas Vaez Tabasi, representative of the Supreme Leader in Khorasan Razavi Province, and Ghorbanali Dori Najafabadi, Friday prayer leader of Arak, have also protested the widespread disqualifications of parliamentary candidates. However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, implicitly defended the Guardian Council's actions in disqualifying candidates, stating that similar institutions exist in all countries and that "nowhere in the world is someone who does not accept the essence of the system allowed into decision-making centers."