Iran’s Interior Minister says he has reported the sweeping disqualification of parliamentary candidates by the Guardian Council to Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader.
Abdolreza Fazli told ISNA on Wednesday January 20 that he met with Ayatollah Khamenei yesterday and reported the matter but he did not reveal the leader’s reaction.
He maintained that so far he has had 20 meetings regarding the mass disqualifications and reports have also been submitted to the Guardian Council.
The Interior Ministry reported that 12,000 people have registered to run in the parliamentary elections, which is twice the number in the last election. However, only 4,720 candidates have been deemed eligible by the Guardian Council.
Fazli added that the general disposition of the council is positive, adding that “Mr. Jannati is of the opinion that such things have to be resolved in a logical manner through joint consultations to create a persuasive space where no one feels that their rights have been violated.”
Ayatollah Jannati is the head of the Guardian Council and is generally regarded as a hardliner opposing reformists.
The reformists have spoken out against the widespread disqualification of their candidates across the country.
The parliamentary elections are scheduled to run in March of this year.
