Iran MPs try to sidestep Guardian Council oversight

Iran's Guardian Council rejected a parliamentary bill May 1 that would have automatically qualified current members of parliament (MPs) to run in the February 2016 elections. Had the bill been accepted by the council, it would have extended the qualification of current MPs — a Principlist majority — without re-evaluation by the Ministry of Intelligence, the judiciary or the police.

In fact, had the Guardian Council, which determines whether parliamentary bills comply with the constitution and Islamic rules, approved the bill, it would have stripped itself of one of its main duties: the qualification of candidates. The parliament adopted the bill — described as controversial by Iranian media — with 125 votes in favor, 54 against and 8 neutral. Exactly one day later, the Guardian Council announced its formal disagreement. Council spokesman Nejatollah Ebrahimian told the Iranian Students News Agency that "the bill, which gave privileges to current MPs, was in contradiction with the constitution."

National parliamentary elections will be held Feb. 26, 2016. The MPs' attempts to adopt such a bill before the elections, and the Guardian Council's immediate rejection of it, could be a sign of serious disputes regarding the qualification of candidates with different political affiliations. However, some also believe that the MPs pursued the bill due to possible financial corruption probes.

Reza Alijani, former editor-in-chief of the popular opposition publication Iran-e Farda and winner of Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Prize, told Al-Monitor, "It was a vain and even childish attempt made by some MPs to automatically extend their qualification for the next round. The bill was presented mainly by MPs who face financial charges and consider it likely [that they will] be disqualified for the next round, because the Guardian Council cannot ignore their corruption charges."