On Jan. 5, the Assembly of Experts, the body that elects the supreme leader of Iran, held examinations for the candidates who registered to run in the 2016 elections. Of the 531 candidates who registered for the assembly elections, 400 attended the exam. Of the 131 missing from the examination, the most notable was Hassan Khomeini, the most prominent grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Hassan Khomeini’s absence surprised many, including Reformist and moderate figures and media, who were hoping to use the Khomeini family name to increase their political clout both in the assembly and parliamentary elections. His absence was stranger still because the test was administered in Qom, Iran’s religious center 80 miles south of the capital, a city Khomeini often resides in.

According to his family members, Khomeini was never informed of the details regarding the test. Family members said that while the test was being administered, he was teaching a class. They even released a picture on social media showing the young cleric sitting at the center of what looks like a hosseinieh, or religious center, supposedly at the same time of the test.

Family members also denied reports that Khomeini’s absence suggests he is pulling out of the elections.