Skip to main content

IRGC commanders begin to reprimand Iranians for electing Rouhani

Ultraconservative commanders in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are now openly criticizing voters for electing Hassan Rouhani, whose performance they view as the root cause of the country's economic woes.
EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, attends a news conference in Tehran February 7, 2011. REUTERS/STRINGER (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - GM1E7271JXK01

The cultural adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) recently raised the idea of a significant reform in the executive structure of the Islamic Republic: the abolition of the presidency and the reinstatement of a prime minister position. Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi said that under such a change, the Iranian parliament would then exercise the authority to remove and replace the head of the government at its discretion and expediency at any moment it finds such a figure unfit to rule.

This was not the first time a transition from the presidential system into a parliamentary one has been brought up by the Islamic Republic's political elite. In October 2011, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke of a distant future when such a change might take place. However, no steps were taken toward implementing the plan. Now, Saffar Harandi's suggestion comes as a significant part in a continuum of comments from IRGC commanders who have been disappointed in the results of the last two presidential elections, which first brought Hassan Rouhani into office and then kept him there. 

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.