Motahari: no Reformist parliament in 2016
Conservative parliament member Ali Motahhari talks about the 2016 parliamentary elections, the result of the new administration not bringing in conservatives into its cabinet and why conservatives lost the 2013 presidential elections.
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.
The current parliament is mostly divided between hard-liners and traditional conservatives, with vocal critics of President Hassan Rouhani. The few Reformists in parliament are not particularly well known or outspoken. The conservatives have sought a greater role in the nuclear negotiations and have called in his ministers for questioning on a number of issues.
Motahari believes the criticism of parliament has more to do with the fact that the Rouhani administration has not incorporated many conservatives into his Cabinet. “The conservatives were not brought into play in the new administration, and this is the most important cause of their criticism,” said Motahari. “Right now, the power of the executive is mostly in the hands of moderate Reformists.”
