Factions Compete for Leadership Positions

Rooz Online

The Majlis will soon hold its internal elections for its top position, the Speaker. As election day approaches, the two main factions in the Majlis, the hardline Principlists and the Rahrovane Velayat will be battling each other out. It seems the only position for which there is no real competition is the top position of the Majlis, which has been held for the two last elections by Ali Larijani supported by the Rahrovan faction. It is said that the reason he has held the position is the confidence that the parliamentarians have in the supreme leader’s desire for Larijani to lead.

Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh, a member of the central council of the Principlists told state-run IRNA news agency that his faction “had no candidate to oppose Mr. Larijani.” He even further and said his faction planned to present a joint list of candidates with the Principlists. “If a joint list does not emerge, then the Principlists will, like in the past, present a suitable candidate,” he predicted.

But Rahrovan’s position has been undergoing some change. Last year they lost some of their seats. This may be the reason Kazem Jalali, the head of this faction and the head of Majlis’s research center has said, “We are currently discussing the upcoming elections within our faction to take steps for the leadership positions of the Majlis.”

Last year, Larijani won with 187 votes. Abu Torabi from the Principlist faction was the candidate for the first deputy Speaker of the Majlis and he won with 200 votes. Mohammad Reza Bahonar won enough votes to become the second deputy Speaker.

The elections and composition of the leadership of the Majlis are a message to Larijani and sings of future competition between the Majlis and Rouhani’s administration.

Khordad website close to reformers, recently wrote about the position of the current leadership of the Majlis. “Even though Abu Torabifard and Bahonar are both from the Rahrovan faction, their actions last year were in favor of the Principlists and in opposition to Rouhani’s administration. Bahonar’s candidacy for the second position in the Majlis can explain the meaning of a coalition between the Rahrovan and the Principlists.”

Writing about last year’s elections for the leadership of the Majlis, Tasnim news agency made appoint that Larijani and others had scored less votes than previous years. “Larijani had received 213 votes out of a total of 252 the year before, indicating a 14 percent drop this year. Mohammad Reza Bahonar also received 11 percent less votes,” it wrote.

After Rouhani won the presidency about two years ago, a number of Majlis representatives including Ali Motahari, Ali-Reza Mahboob and Abed Fatahi tried to form a third faction (after Rahrovan and the Principlists) Etedal (moderation) which at that time had some 100 supporters in parliament. But the effort failed.

Even though the Principlists call the Rahrovan faction to be supporters of Rouhani’s administration, other Majlis representatives have a different view. Ibrahim Neko had earlier said that the faction that supports Larijani has the responsibility of attacking the government. “Today, the biggest attacks are against the ministry of foreign affairs, the ministry of science or the ministry of Islamic guidance, or even ministry of oil. The leaders of Rahrovan are not sincere in their actions and have acted to the benefit of the opponents of the administration. Their actions are not consistent with their real deeper intentions,” he said.