Outspoken conservative Iranian parliament member Ali Motahari has said that hard-line institutions will not allow a Reformist-majority parliament to take shape in the next parliamentary elections in 2016. In an interview with Nameh News, he also discussed the new administration’s inability to work with conservatives, why the conservatives lost the 2013 presidential elections and his unorthodox views on prominent officials in the government.
On the possibility of Reformists being disqualified in the parliamentary elections, Motahari said, “In my opinion, it will happen, and the Guardian Council will not allow an independent or Reformist parliament to come about. Overall, it will be a majority of conservatives with a minority of strong conservatives and independents.” The Guardian Council is the hard-line body that vets candidates for elections.
