Ali Larijani, the speaker of the current Parliament who was re-elected in Qom, referred to the defeat of the Society of Qom Seminary Teachers as “a turn of forces in the country” and called it a “welcome event”.
Larijani, who was originally considered to be in the conservative camp, was dropped from the list of the Qom Seminary Teachers for drifting more toward the middle ground in politics in recent months. He still won the second most votes in Qom, which sends three representatives to Parliament.
The Mehr News Agency reported on Sunday February 27 that Larijani told a press conference: “We must respect the people’s choice, different opinions, and the fact that different circumstances require different forces at the helm of the country.”
While the Guardian Council disqualified most of the reformist candidates running for the Assembly of Experts and Parliament, all the candidates promoted by reformists have come out on top, especially in Tehran, where the top 30 parliamentary candidates are backed by reformists.
Meanwhile, many top conservative candidates did not find their way into the Assembly of Experts or Parliament.
