unopposed candidates in the assembly of experts election
TRANSCRIPT
Unopposed Candidates in the Assembly of Experts Election
Paul Bucala, Caitlin Shayda Pendleton, and Marie Donovan
Critical Threats ProjectAmerican Enterprise Institute
February 8, 2016
AYATOLLAH ALI AKBAR GHOREYSHI● Electoral district: West Azerbaijan province
● Longtime Assembly member. Has served as an Assembly of Experts member since the body’s inception in 1982; also elected to a special 1979 session of “the Assembly of Experts for the Constitution,” which drafted the Islamic Republic’s first constitution.
● Holds close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Previously served as Khamenei’s representative to Urmia University and Construction Jihad in West Azerbaijan University. His son, Hojjat ol Eslam Mehdi Ghoreyshi, is both Khamenei’s representative in West Azerbaijan province and Urmia’s Friday prayer leader.
● Currently and historically supported by conservative groups. Featured on the conservative Combatant Clergy Association and conservative Society of Qom Seminary Teachers’ joint electoral list for the 2006 Assembly of Experts elections. News outlets reported in January 2016 that the Society of Qom Seminary Teachers will support Ghoreyshi in the current elections.
POLITICAL CAMP: CONSERVATIVE
HOJJAT OL ESLAM ASGHAR DIRBAZ● Electoral district: West Azerbaijan province
● Recent Assembly member. Elected to the Fourth Assembly of Experts in the December 2006 elections, when he also ran unopposed.
● Has tentatively called for a more assertive Assembly. Stated in 2014 that the Assembly “could be more active” in reviewing the Supreme Leader’s qualifications, but added that it would “conflict” with the trust between the Supreme Leader and the Assembly.
● Longstanding and influential Society of Qom Seminary Teachers member. Reportedly endorsed in the current elections by the conservative Society of Qom Seminary Teachers, in which he has held senior positions.
POLITICAL CAMP: CONSERVATIVE
HOJJAT OL ESLAM ABBAS SHAH RAFAETI● Electoral district: West Azerbaijan province
● Has never served on the Assembly before.
● Record of ties to Society of Qom Seminary Teachers. Has held senior positions in the conservative Society of Qom Seminary Teachers, which has reportedly endorsed him in the current elections.
POLITICAL CAMP: CONSERVATIVE
HOJJAT OL ESLAM HASSAN AMELI ● Electoral District: Ardabil province
● Current Assembly of Experts member. The conservative Society of Qom Seminary Teachers, of which he is also a member, supported him in the last elections.
● Holds close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Supreme Leader appointed Ameli as his representative in Ardabil province and as Ardabil’s Friday prayer leader following the death of Ayatollah Moravej Ardabili in November 2002.
● Unsympathetic to disqualified candidates. Recently criticized “some inappropriate movements by candidates who try to ridicule the nation’s conscience” – presumably referring to candidates who are vocally protesting their disqualifications.
POLITICAL CAMP: CONSERVATIVE
AYATOLLAH FAJRALDIN MOUSAVI NANEKARAN
● Electoral District: Ardabil province
● Former parliamentary member. Was a member of the first (1980-1984), third (1988-1992), and fifth parliaments (1996-2000).
● Previous Assembly of Experts candidate. Ran in the 2006 Assembly of Expert elections and was approved to run by the Guardian Council, but did not win a seat.
● Recently apolitical. Is a noted seminary teacher and writer, but does not appear to have been active in political organizations in the past decade.
POLITICAL CAMP: UNKNOWN
AYATOLLAH HASHEM HOSSEINI BUSHEHRI● Electoral district: Bushehr province
● Current Qom Friday prayer leader. During a recent sermon, he praised the IRGC for the capture of 10 U.S. Navy Sailors on January 12. He added that U.S. Navy sailors were “terrified by the IRGC.”
● Current Assembly of Experts member. The conservative Society of Qom Seminary teachers supported him in the previous elections. He is also an influential deputy in the Society.
POLITICAL CAMP: CONSERVATIVE
AYATOLLAH HABIBOLLAH MEHMANNAVAZ● Electoral district: North Khorasan province
● Current Assembly of Experts member. The conservative Society of Qom Seminary Teachers supported him in the last Assembly of Experts elections in December 2006. Was previously elected to the Assembly of Experts in 1990.
● Anti-Reformist and culturally conservative. Spoke out harshly against the 2009 protests calling for government reform. Called for clergy members to play a more active role in society to defend against cultural infiltration by Western lifestyles.
● Strong anti-American tendencies. Called America the “center of evil” and stated that there is “no benefit” to warming relations with the United States.
POLITICAL CAMP: CONSERVATIVE
AYATOLLAH MOHAMMAD SHAHCHERAGI● Electoral District: Semnan province
● Current Assembly of Experts member. The Society of Qom Seminary Teachers supported his bid during the last elections in December 2006.
● Represents the Supreme Leader in his electoral district. Acts as the Representative of the Supreme Leader to Semnan province and as the Semnan Friday Prayer Leader.
● Holds senior positions at two major charitable trusts. Oversees the presence of two major “bonyads,” or para-governmental charitable trusts, in his province: Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs.
POLITICAL CAMP: CONSERVATIVE
PICTURE
AYATOLLAH GHOLAM ALI NA’IM ABADI ● Electoral District: Hormozgan province
● Current Assembly of Experts member. The conservative Society of Qom Seminary Teachers supported him in the last Assembly of Experts elections in December 2006.
● Represents the Supreme Leader in his electoral district. Acts as the Supreme Leader’s Representative to Hormozgan province and the Friday prayer leader of Bushehr province.
POLITICAL CAMP: CONSERVATIVE
PICTURE