Iranian Parliament is preparing a bill to reform presidential elections.
It reportedly reportedly calls for the creation of a council, with representative from the three branches of government, to be involved in running the elections.
The Mehr News Agency reports that the bill will be prepared in coordination with Parliament and the Expediency Council.
In a first draft, the conditions for presidential candidacy have been altered to include an emphasis on candidate endorsements by the religious and political elite and the need to establish the candidates’ religious and political competence.
Age and level of education are other parameters to be discussed in the preparation of the bill.
Parliament has been critical of having the administration oversee the election process.
Currently, elections in the Islamic Republic are run by the Interior Ministry under the supervision of the Guardian Council.
While the suggested bill still gives the Interior Ministry the responsibility of running elections, it’s a new development to suggest that representatives of the legislative and judicial branches of government be involved.
The 2009 presidential elections in Iran became very controversial when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s opponents challenged his victory, alleging vote fraud. The controversy triggered widespread protests that became a serious political crisis, ending in a widespread crackdown on protesters and deep divisions in the establishment.
