Challenge to disqualification of former president; Tavakoli: Ahmadinejad is a criminal
While there have been whispers about the possibility of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disqualification since his registration, Mr. Ahmadinejad called his disqualification "unfounded."
On Monday, April 17, in an interview with the Chinese Phoenix Network, the text of which was published on the website of the Bahar Government (affiliated with Mr. Ahmadinejad), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that there was no reason for the Guardian Council to disqualify him.
At the same time, former MP Ahmad Tavakoli has written a letter to the Guardian Council, listing legal violations and other reasons, calling for Ahmadinejad's disqualification.
The Guardian Council's discretionary oversight and approval of candidates' qualifications have led critics of the Islamic Republic to question the democratic and fair nature of Iran's elections.
Critics believe that people are forced to vote only for options that have already been selected for the people by the Guardian Council.
Now it seems that the issue of qualification has become a challenge to confront some of the forces within the government.
In his letter to the Guardian Council, Ahmad Tavakoli referred to Ahmadinejad's actions during his presidency in rejecting Ayatollah Khamenei's orders and wrote that the former Iranian president does not follow the Supreme Leader.
Belief in and commitment to the guardianship of the jurist is one of the eligibility requirements for candidates from the perspective of the Guardian Council.
Ahmad Tavakoli also referred to Mr. Ahmadinejad’s decisions not to notify the Islamic Consultative Assembly’s resolutions and his insistence on their non-implementation. The former member of parliament then accused Mr. Ahmadinejad of numerous illegal actions. He cited, for example, illegal withdrawals from the treasury for provincial trips and illegal hiring for the presidential office during Ahmadinejad’s presidency.
Mr. Tavakoli, who was one of Mr. Ahmadinejad's serious critics during his second term in office, continued in his letter that if the parliament had fulfilled its duty to review Ahmadinejad's competence during that period, he would not have made the "subversive and anti-national promise of increasing the monthly cash subsidy to 250,000 Tomans for everyone" today.
On the other hand, the Judiciary Spokesperson told reporters on Sunday that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's legal case is still open and Hamid Baghai's innocence has not yet been proven.
Mr. Ahmadinejad's legal cases are related to his actions during his presidency. Part of this case relates to the Islamic Consultative Assembly's complaint about the failure to implement the Assembly's resolutions, an issue that Ahmad Tavakoli also mentioned in numerous instances in his letter to the Guardian Council.
Another challenge for the former Iranian president is the opinion of Ayatollah Khamenei, who last year did not consider it advisable for him to run in the presidential elections.
It seems that Mr. Ahmadinejad, who was one of the presidents supported by the Guardian Council, especially its secretary, Ahmad Jannati, is facing a serious challenge in being certified.
Source: Voice of America
