Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei expressed his support for the law banning the recruitment of retired individuals in government positions, but called for modifications to address its shortcomings.
“This law concerning the retired people is a good law, one that we needed and was missing,” the Leader was quoted by his official website as saying on Tuesday.
An advantage of the rule, according to the Leader, is that it breaks up the “closed circle of management”, which at times persisted for years, and opens up opportunities for the young generation to occupy such positions.
Before the law’s enforcement, retired government officials used to receive generous contract extensions, allowing them to remain in their posts for years and deprive the younger people of job opportunities.
However, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that although the law is constructive in nature, its across-the-board application without any exception is not correct.
“Banning all retirees from office is not the right way to apply the law,” he said.
The Leader explained that there are cases where employees have served their required years but are still young and able to work, noting that such individuals have gained good experience and sometimes have no replacement.
“Extending the law to such people who … might not even constitute a large group is not correct,” he said.
The Leader has granted permission to several such individuals on a case-by-case basis to retain their position, but stressed that they should not be forced to approach him.
“It is better that the lawmakers themselves write and reform the law in a way that such flaws are removed,” he said.
According to Kazem Jalali, a lawmaker, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has ordered a revision of the legislation to accommodate the Leader’s demand.
