Following the re-election of Hassan Rouhani in the May 19 presidential elections, talk of establishing of a “shadow government” has been floating around Iranian political circles. Some Principlists have proposed the idea, although not everyone in their camp has welcomed it.

In a statement released on May 20, Saeed Jalili, a conservative politician who unsuccessfully ran in the 2013 presidential elections, unveiled the idea, which is perhaps most prominent in the British political system. In his statement, Jalili called for the formation of “a shadow government in an effort to help the sitting government and make up for its shortcomings and inefficiencies.”

However, the timing of his proposal — which coincided with the announcement of the election results — led to its not receiving much media attention. But in the ensuing days — given Jalili’s further explanations and emphasis on the idea — the initiative gradually found its way into the headlines.

On May 21, the former head of the Iranian state broadcaster, Ezzatollah Zarghami — who was a potential Principlist candidate for the May 19 vote but failed to win the support of the camp — wrote on his Telegram channel, “Having secured 16 million votes, [conservative candidate] Mr. [Ebrahim] Raisi can have a supervisory status and be a strong alternative for the government in pursuing the demands of the people and making sure that [its] promises are implemented, thus playing a historic role.” On the same day, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, another Principlist candidate who withdrew in favor of Raisi, said, “We pledge to follow up on the administration’s promises until they are implemented and will take any measure needed in pursuing national goals as well as the rights of the poor and underprivileged.”