Iran: Factional Feuding in 2017 Presidential Election
- Wednesday, 08 February 2017 22:07
NCRI - On Tuesday February 7, 2017, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called upon everyone to participate freely in the upcoming presidential election and taunting rival factions who don’t want him to run again for the second term said: “Is the election really worth committing sin?”
According to the state run news agency ISNA, Rouhani attacked the Khamenei’s faction and said: "A number of people are professionals for violence and I don’t know in which school they have been trained in."
He stated that "there are people who love fighting, violence and invasion", and added: "We are a nation that has unique revolution, constitution, leadership, government, culture and identity... So why should we antagonize each other? "
Hassan Rouhani’s statements are made while, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Minister of Interior, had said earlier in July 2016 that he would “definitely” run for President in 2017 and had asked the Interior Ministry to hold a “legal and healthy” election.
It is noteworthy that Iran regime’s sham presidential election is supposed to be held on May 18, 2016.
Some media and political figures in Khamenei’s faction have already announced that Presidency of Hassan Rouhani would be only one term and he would not be elected next year. Meanwhile, some speculations about the possibility of Rouhani being disqualified by the Guardian Council have been raised.
Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of regime, on October 15, 2016, communicated the general policies of the regime's sham elections in 18 articles, to the heads of the three branches of government and the head of the Expediency Council.
In paragraph 16 of this policy, "bias toward the candidates" from the three branches and the armed forces and security services have been banned.
However, Ali Saeedi, Khamenei's representative in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), said after the announcement of the policy that political activity is in "the essence" of this institution.
Earlier, Iranian Revolutionary Guards officials had rejected interference of this institution in the elections but at the same time with the excuse of "explaining and clarifying" the political currents, practically interfered in the elections of the regime.
In previous years, the interference of the IRGC was followed by the complaint of some factions of the regime and some Members of Parliament including Ali Mottahari and Mostafa Kavakebian protested the IRGC’s interference in the elections.
