Iranian conservative political groups, often referred to as principalists, are looking at coalitions in preparation for the coming parliamentary elections.
The Tasnim News Agency reports that at the annual congress of the Society of the Devotees of the Islamic Revolution, Mohammad Nabi Habibi, a senior principalist leader, said coalitions are the only solution, and principalists need to set aside possible differences in order to secure election victory.
The Society of the Devotees of the Islamic Revolution is one of the top principalist organizations in the Islamic Republic and it has a wide network within the country’s military bodies.
Habibi warned that the reformists have already begun their campaign for parliamentary elections in the provinces, and the principalists are falling behind.
The head of parliament’s principalist faction, Gholamali Haddad Adel, was quoted as saying: “What is important is that the coming parliament is principalist, no matter which party represents it in parliament. We must move in the path of Imam (Khomeini) and the leader.”
The tenth parliamentary elections are slated for March of 2016.
Reformists often face problems in elections as their candidates tend to be disqualified by the Guardian Council, which is comprised of 12 principalists and upholds the interests of conservative factions.
