Iran: Hardliners prevent former president Hassan Rouhani from contesting polls

Former Iran president Hassan Rouhani has reportedly been prevented from running for office by Iranian hardliners in charge of the candidate screening procedure for the elections scheduled for March 1. According to local media, in five weeks, there will be legislative elections and Rouhani was excited to run for a seat on the Experts Assembly. He had already registered. With Ali Khamenei’s passing, the Assembly is required by the constitution to choose Iran’s next Supreme Leader. Given the political ramifications in the event of Khamenei’s absence, Rouhani had emphasized the significance of the election back in November. Hundreds of moderate candidates were turned down for the March vote by the interior ministry and the Guardian Council, which oversee candidate screening. This strategy is the same as that used in the 2020 legislative and 2021 presidential elections. Because of this, ultraconservatives now control both the outgoing parliament and President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration. Now, all previous Iranian presidents find themselves politically isolated as a result of Rouhani’s rejection by supporters of Khamenei. Rejected are not opponents but rather members of the dictatorship who would never be permitted to stand for office. Numerous are former legislators or high-ranking officials. Many politicians, pundits, and relatively independent media sources concur that there will be very little voter turnout because people no longer believe that any election in the Islamic Republic will bring greater freedoms or better the country’s rapidly worsening economic situation. The likelihood that government initiatives to encourage people to vote will be successful is likewise reduced by the widespread rejection of candidates. Even though hardliners are aware that low voter turnout could further undermine the legitimacy of the regime already weakened by the economic crisis and persistent countrywide protests, they nevertheless manipulate the elections.