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Formation of Gov’t-Allied Majlis Possible

Formation of Gov’t-Allied Majlis Possible
Formation of Gov’t-Allied Majlis Possible

A senior reformist politician said the number of government's supporters among the approved candidates for this month's Majlis elections is enough to form a government-allied parliament.

Ahmad Hakimipour, secretary-general of the pro-reform Will of the Iranian Nation Party, made the statement in an interview with IRNA on Sunday.

"Among the approved candidates, there are some obvious hopefuls whose positions are close to those of the government, despite having no experience of partisan activities," he said.

An electoral official said on Saturday an additional 1,500 hopefuls have been cleared to run in the election, along with 4,800 who were previously approved.

Siyamak Rahpeyk, the spokesman for the Central Elections Monitoring Board, a body under the Guardians Council which is tasked with vetting candidates, said that with the new approvals, the total number of nominees approved for the Majlis election has reached 6,300.

Hakimipour said reformists would naturally prefer to include reformist figures in their joint list of candidates, but "moderate principlists" who place national interests above partisan interests can also join.

"We are prepared for four different results of elections that include forming an ineffective minority, effective minority, fragile majority or absolute majority," he said.

"Even in the worst-case scenario of having an ineffective minority, we have made plans to pursue our goals."

The prominent politician said the reformist front, as a well-established and effective political camp that believes in the system and constitution, will never withdraw from the upcoming election because boycotting would never help improve anything in the country.

"Our policy is to stay on the scene and pursue our goals step-by-step," he said.

The secretary-general said he believes if many people vote in elections, reformists would gain more seats, but if the voter turnout is low, the parliament will be handed over to the rivals.

On ways of boosting voter turnout, Hakimipour said creating a competitive environment and giving all sides a chance would be helpful.

"The higher the voter turnout, the more will be the [public] support for the system and the government to promote national interests in the domestic and international arenas," he said.  Hakimipour noted that the next parliament should devote more efforts to improve the economic situation of the country, because the most urgent need is to create an economic boom and increase employment rate.

"In the post-JCPOA environment, the way is paved for economic growth," he said.

Hakimipour further said that the next parliament should promote hope and calm in the community to prepare the ground for people to boost economic activities.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the formal name of the nuclear deal reached between Iran and major powers to give Iran sanctions relief in return for limitations for specified durations on its nuclear program.

"If the reformists and moderates gain a majority of votes in the upcoming elections, they would greatly help the president [Hassan Rouhani] to honor its election promises."

The election for the Majlis  and Experts Assembly will be held simultaneously on February 26.

 

Financialtribune.com