Members of the Assembly of Experts, a clerical body empowered to appoint and dismiss the Leader of Islamic Revolution and monitor his performance, convened their second biannual meeting in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss a range of domestic issues, including the current economic problems.
According to Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, spokesman of the assembly’s presiding board, a main item on the two-day session’s agenda is reviewing the guidelines for the country’s further progress recently set out in a seven-point statement by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, issued in mid-February on the occasion of the Islamic Revolution’s 40th anniversary, IRNA reported.
The senior clerics discussed issues concerning people’s livelihood in the presence of Economy Minister Farhad Dejpasand who attended the meeting as a special guest to elaborate on his department's activities and answer the assembly's questions.
Iran’s economy is under pressure due to the American sanctions revived after the United States pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal last year.
The assembly’s management methods and election procedures are also among topics of discussion in the meeting.
In an address to the meeting, chairman of the assembly, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, offered condolences on the loss of two assembly members, Ayatollah Mohammad Momen and Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.
“They did outstanding service in the assembly … Their absence is strongly felt,” he said.
He later stressed that the Leader’s roadmap for progress should not remain on paper and the instructions need to be put into practice.
Ayatollah Jannati commended the Iranian people for their tolerance and called on all authorities to work toward serving them faithfully.
“We need to work hard for the people so as not to make them disappointed,” he said.
The meeting is to end on Wednesday. The members will then meet the Leader and visit the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in southern Tehran on Thursday.
Raeisi Assumes Another Top Post
At the Tuesday session, Hojjatoleslam Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi was elected by a majority vote as the first deputy chairman of the assembly to replace the late Ayatollah Shahroudi.
He won by securing 43 votes ahead of two other contenders, namely Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani and Ayatollah Fazel Golpayegani, who gained 27 and five votes each respectively.
The composition of the assembly’s presiding board is determined biennially by internal vote. The next election will be held in a year.
This was Raeisi’s second top position assumed in a week after being appointed by the Leader as judiciary chief.
Ayatollah Jannati praised the appointment as “correct and valuable”, urging Raeisi to both carry out the Leader’s instructions and fulfill the pledges he made on his induction ceremony during his tenure.
The Assembly of Experts has 88 members who are elected by direct public vote for eight-year terms.
However, midterm elections are held to replace members who pass away or resign.
The first midterm election in the current assembly is scheduled for February 2020, which will be held alongside the parliamentary elections.
