A senior reformist figure said the formation of a new faction in the parliament by "opportunist" lawmakers is unethical and indicates imprudence.
"The creation of the faction of 'independents' shows a lack of political foresight and this faction cannot attract popular support," Mohammad Ali Abtahi told ISNA on Tuesday.
"Some politicians join a group of candidates to earn a seat in the Majlis and then abandon that group after succeeding; this is unethical".
The new faction is filled with some independent lawmakers, plus dozens of lawmakers who joined the two rival lists of candidates during the recent Majlis elections, that belonged to the principlist camp and a reformist-government backer alliance named the List of Hope.
In the two rounds of Majlis polls in February and April, the List of Hope secured 120 seats, a simple majority of the 290-member assembly. Principlists gained 83 seats and the rest were won by independents.
The new faction held its first session on July 20, in which Tehran lawmaker Kazem Jalali, a member of the principlist faction in the previous Majlis who was included in the List of Hope, was picked as chairman. The members of the faction are estimated to be around 80.
"If [some of] these people had not been in the List of Hope ... they would have not been in the Majlis," he said.
Abtahi said the new faction cannot play an effective role in the Majlis and the breakaway lawmakers have put their political future at risk.
"People who voted for the List of Hope would have a negative view of this action and this will erode their popular backing," he said.
The reformist politician said such divisions are not unprecedented and they originate from the lack of a rigid party system that holds lawmakers accountable.
