The former president argues that the Guardian Council is curtailing the president’s authorities by imposing new restrictions.
He described the letter by the council as “an indictment against the presidential institution” and his administration, saying the accusations lack any “credibility.”
Rouhani wrote, “This is not my personal defense, but a defense of the republicanism (and Islamism) of the system; a defense for the institution of the presidency, which as the direct representative of all people in Iran, should not be weakened more.”
The oversight body that examines the credentials of electoral hopefuls disqualified Rouhani from running in the elections, without publicly announcing the reasons.
“What is stated in the letter by the secretary of the Guardian Council as the proof of my ineligibility in the Assembly of Experts election is not a crime or even a violation, but in some cases it is a source of pride for me,” Rouhani stated.
Iran’s Assembly of Experts election was held on 1 March.
