In a meeting with the newly formed Reformist bloc, Union of Islamic Iran People Party, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani talked about his vision for the 2016 parliamentary elections and the important role of political parties. The issue is significant because one of the problems facing political groups in Iran is that since there are no official political parties, the various political factions and groups lack cohesion and often rely on charismatic figures to attract voters. With former President Mohammad Khatami politically sidelined and many of the radical Reformist figures imprisoned, the role of parties will be important in the upcoming elections, especially for those in the Reformist and moderate camps.

Using the Rouhani slogan of “moderation,” Rafsanjani said, “People — especially the youth and women, and particularly the educated — are prepared to enter the elections for institutionalizing moderation in the country.” He added, “This moment ... is the responsibility of all ... the parties and organizations ... to enter the elections [and] create another political epic in February ... which are important elections.” The term “political epic” was coined by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ahead of the Iranian New Year in March 2013 to promote a large turnout for the June presidential election.

Rafsanjani talked about the importance of political parties, saying that after the revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini supported and offered financial backing to the formation of the Islamic Republican Party. He added, “In all the years after the success of the revolution, it has always been the extremists who have been an obstacle in the growth of parties. They still aim to create obstacles, but the constitution and the elders of the state are opposed to this.”

The political fortunes of Rafsanjani have risen and fallen since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The former president and confidant of Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, was once and still is to many considered a pillar of the state. Under Presidents Khatami and later Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Rafsanjani’s political influence began to wane. But the elder statesman who played a central role in President Hassan Rouhani’s election in 2013 seeks to continue having a say in the 2016 parliamentary elections.