Iran Leader Criticizes Strict Balloting of Presidential Candidates

Iran Leader Criticizes Strict Balloting of Presidential Candidates

Iran’s arch-conservative spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized the exclusion of many presidential candidates.

 

The powerful Guardian Council, of which he appointed half of the 12 members, oversaw the candidacy and rejected as unsuitable as 98 percent of the people who wanted to run for the presidency.

According to the Ayatollah, it is the Guardians’ task to ban progressive reformers from the elections, but apparently, they have exaggerated a bit this time. By the way, he has a lot more to say in Iran than the president. Iran will elect a new one on June 18.

Khamenei now says that in addition to the principles of Islam, the principles of democracy must also apply in the country. According to observers, the ruling of the powerful Ayatollah should lead to a revision of the strict judgment of the Guardians. Then perhaps more than seven candidates can take office.

Khamenei does not want reformers but possibly a little more variety in the line of candidates for fear of a meager turnout. The exclusion of so many presidential candidates has also sparked strong criticism of Khamenei and the conservative Shia clerics who have dominated the country since 1979.

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