Is BBC Persian meddling in Iranian elections?
Pre-election sniping ahead of the Assembly of Experts vote heats up as Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s ticket is labeled “British.”
TEHRAN, Iran — In the coming days, Iran will be holding elections for its Assembly of Experts, and as such, every side is maneuvering to gain as many votes as possible. The main race is between the camps of moderate Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and that of ultra-conservative Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati.
President Hassan Rouhani, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi and highly respected Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini are among the most prominent figures on Rafsanjani’s 16-person ticket (known as People’s Experts). Hassan Khomeini — who was disqualified from running in the elections and is also the grandson of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — appears on the campaign posters for Rafsanjani’s ticket. Khomeini has voiced tacit support for the moderate ticket, saying, “We should vote for those who don’t close their eyes to oppression.”
