Iranian paper raps oversight body for disqualifying parliamentary hopefuls

“Forty-five years of experience in the Islamic Republic of Iran shows the Establishment’s deterrence power and effectiveness bears a direct relationship to elections,” wrote the Etela’at daily in an opinion piece on Saturday.

The daily also touched upon the council’s disqualifying  former President Hassan Rouhani, adding “The disqualification of the ex-president, who, not to mention his ongoing political experience from the beginning of the Revolution all the way to the era of the Iraqi imposed war in Iran in the 1980s and his presidency of the Supreme National Security Council, was a veteran member of the Guardian Council and served as President for 8 years, shows his credentials failed to convince the  Guardian Council and its advisors,” said the paper.

“The continuation of this situation might undermine and deal a blow to the philosophy and principle of elections altogether,” wrote the newspaper.

“Elections marked by a huge turnout of voters have always served as a bulwark for the Islamic Republic of Iran against enemies and rivals, great and small alike,” it said.

“Now, as we are in a more complex situation and engaged in closer confrontation with the enemies, why should we blunt this dagger and replace this bulwark with a wooden shield?” the paper asked rhetorically.

The Guardian Council’s rejection of the credentials of several hopefuls vying for a seat in the March parliamentary elections has drawn the ire of many.