The spokesperson for the principlist Combatant Clergy Association said the results of the next parliamentary election will indicate the level of public satisfaction with the government's performance.
Hojatoleslam Gholam Reza Mesbahi Moqaddam made the comment in an interview with ISNA published on Wednesday, in reference to the election for the Majlis scheduled for Feb. 26, 2016, which will be held concurrently with the election of the Assembly of Experts.
He said in case the candidates who win the people's vote are allied with President Hassan Rouhani, it will signify that the people are satisfied with the government's performance, but otherwise a parliament will take shape that will most probably oppose most decisions by government and be critical of its measures.
The cleric, however, predicted that the nation does not intend to cause problems for the government and it will most probably favor a parliament which will have "active and positive interaction" with the administration. Yet, he did not reject the fact that due to its nature, Parliament needs to be in a position to criticize the government for its shortcomings.
Asked about the outcome of the previous presidential election in June 2013, which led to Hassan Rouhani's victory, and its impact on the policies of principlists and reformists, Mesbahi Moqaddam said the election indeed affected domestic politics.
He said principlists came to the conclusion that all political parties need to cooperate to help protect national interests despite their rivalries.
Principlists, or conservatives, are characterized by their firm adherence to the principles of the Islamic Revolution. Reformists are a political movement including a group of political parties and organizations who supported former president Mohammad Khatami's plans to bring about political reforms and promote civil liberties. They constitute the two major political groupings in the Islamic Republic.
The principlist lawmaker also warned that the government should not interfere in the elections as such a move would be in contradiction to both the policies approved by the Expediency Council and the norms of electoral activities.
Commenting on the stance of the lawmakers on the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the major powers on Tehran's nuclear program, he said a majority of the deputies back diplomacy, as do the public. However, he underlined the persistent concerns of the lawmakers over certain moves by "the enemies of the Islamic Revolution," which could prevent the negotiations from producing favorable results or even hamper the push for an accord.
