NCRI – Senior mullah calls for exclusion of non-Muslim candidates from the municipality elections
The clerical regime’s Guardian Council eliminated Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former President of the clerical regime from running for presidency. This was done on the order of Khamenei, and in absolute weakness and desperation, Khamenei was forced to accept this surgery. This clearly indicates a sign of the end of the regime. Ahmadinejad, despite Khamenei’s opposition, declared his candidacy for presidency. This demonstrates unprecedented divisions among the regime’s factions and shows that Khamenei does not have influence and authority even among his own forces.
Ahmadinejad is the one whom in 2005 and 2009 Khamenei brought him out of the ballot box with the help of Iranian Revolutionary Guards and imposed him on other factions of the regime. Khamenei had repeatedly said he preferred Ahmadinejad over others, including Rafsanjani. Ahmadinejad later stood in the face of the godfather of the regime over his share of power and has now become a thorn in the side of this repressive regime.
Following surgery of candidates by the Guardian Council, Khamenei ordered the security forces to be deployed widely in different squares and streets in Tehran, including Vali Asr and Enghelab Square. Around the house of Ahmadinejad in Eastern Tehran is in the control of riot police.
The Guardian Council also named six candidates qualified for sham election. Executioner Mullah Raeisi, a member of “Death Committee” in the massacre of 30 thousand political prisoners, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, former Revolutionary Guard Brigadier General and criminal and stealer mayor of Tehran; and Mostafa Mir Salim of the Islamic Coalition Party who has served the regime in the past four decades, are three candidates from the Khamenei faction, and imposter and criminal mullah Rouhani, the current President, Ishaq Jahangiri, and Mostafa Hashemi Taba, two of his deputies who were both among the veteran officials of the religious tyranny are from the rival gang.
Meanwhile, in a ridiculous act on the order of Khamenei it is instructed that the debate between the candidates are not broadcast live. This measure is in fear of exposing the crimes and plundering of leaders of the regime and in fear of popular anger and social upheavals. In 2009, televised debates of sham presidential election caused a deep rift in the ruling mullahs and spark a national uprising.
Regime leaders continually warn each other about the threat of repeat of 2009 uprising. Mullah Larijani, the regime’s Judiciary Chief expressed concern in this regard and called for readiness of all suppressive forces of the regime. He said: Prosecution chiefs and prosecutors, in collaboration with law enforcement and security forces should prevent … sedition and chaos by some people. In the election they may desire to inflict a blow to the regime, so everyone should be prepared; they should leave no space and no room for such mischief (Tasnim news agency, April 20, 2017)
In another development, on April 18, Mullah Jannati, head of the regime’s Guardian Council in a formal statement ordered the disqualification of candidates of religious minorities in elections for local councils in the clerical regime. This is a repressive decision that contradicts even the regime’s own constitution. In the statement, Jannati said, given that “decisions taken by municipalities, without the approval of the Guardian Council are binding”, with respect to the nomination of members of non-Muslims in areas where the majority of its people are Muslims, he has expressed concern and described it opposed to the views of Khomeini, velayat-e faqih founder, and contrary to the mullahs’ religious instructions. He stressed that non-Muslim candidates should not be qualified. Guardian Council spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said that this statement was “the theory of the jurists” and acknowledged it.
Remarks by Speaker of the Assembly of Experts of the regime has intensified the infighting within the regime factions and the government entities. The regime’s Parliament called Jannati’s statement as interference in the work of Parliament, and stressed that the responsibility for qualification of local councils in the regime is with the Parliament. Qassem Mirzaee Nekou, MP, called Jannati’s statement an innovation and said definitely with this trend, every day Parliament adopted legislations may be abolished.”
Following these positions, Qassem Soleimani, the head of the terrorist IRGC-Qods Force went to meet Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, along with a number of IRGC commanders, to intimidate him.