NCRI – Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’ rivals continue their efforts to have him disqualified by the Guardian Council .
While Guardian Council’s deadline to approve candidates’ qualifications will be over on Tuesday, Mehr news agency affiliated to the mullahs’ intelligence ministry, wrote on May 20 quoting Council’s spokesman as saying, “ If someone intends to assume a senior administrative post but he can work only few hours a day, he naturally cannot be approved; the issue that physical conditions would be considered in discussions regarding the president’s capabilities remains to be considered; however, it’s not discussed yet.”
Simultaneously, Mohammad Dehghan, member of board of directors of the Iranian regime’s parliament (Majlis), said implicitly, “Guardian Council will reject candidacy of Rafsanjani who is 79.”
He said, “So far Majlis has ratified three resolutions regarding presidential candidates that they cannot be older than 75, but Guardian Council has rejected them.”
But “After talks I had with some members of Guardian Council, I found out that the Council agrees with Majlis’ idea and seeks to implement it through Guardian Council’s bylaw,” he added.
In protest at the words of Guardian Council’s spokesman, Ali Motahhari, another member of Majlis, said, “My question is how Guardian Council is going to make sure that someone cannot work for 4 hours? How do they know that Mr. Hashemi lacks physical capability to become president? Should Hashemi be disqualified the principle of Revolution and Establishment would go under question because Hashemi has had the most significant role in the Revolution compared to other candidates… If Guardian Council has made its final decision in this regard, it has initiated a perilous game that is not to the benefit of Establishment.”
Mashregh, state run website, under the guise of showing compassion to Rafsanjani, wrote on May 19, “Rafsanjani had better withdraw before being disqualified… dragging an 80 year old man to the field who lacks adequate physical capability to even meet his own personal needs, is an unforgivable injustice to this old guerrilla of Revolution…in this regard, dignitaries in seminaries and old friends of Mr. Rafsanjani should act to their humanitarian and religious duty, and before Guardian Council has announced its final decision about his ability to manage the country, they should graciously advise and avoid him from his attempt to assume presidency, because disqualification of Hashemi at this juncture of his life should not be attached to his political background. Rescue Hashemi, not too much time is left.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
May 20, 2013