Council Deals a Blow to Iranian Reformers

Candidates who did not attend pro-clergy rallies will be disqualified from Iran’s upcoming parliamentary elections, a hard-line council ruled in an apparent attempt to undercut reformers, newspapers reported Wednesday.

Two “trusted supervisors” will decide whether candidates took part in the recent rallies to show support for the ruling Islamic establishment, the reformist Fatth newspaper reported.

It said the new procedure was ordered by the powerful Council of Guardians, which must approve the list of candidates. It was not known when the bylaw was passed, since the council is not required to publicize its decisions.

The move suggests that hard-liners are increasingly worried about the popularity of the reformists, who back moderate President Mohammad Khatami’s efforts to loosen two decades of clergy-imposed political and social controls.

Khatami could receive a major boost if moderate candidates win a majority in Feb. 18 elections for the 270-seat Majlis, or parliament.

But the hard-liners, fighting for survival against a population disillusioned by their rule, have been using their power to thwart the reformists. Over the past year, they have closed down reformist newspapers and jailed leading reformers.

In most instances, reformists are powerless to overturn the rulings of the hard-liners.

Only the president has the power to intervene, and it was not clear if Khatami would risk a head-on confrontation on this issue.

In a letter widely published in Iranian newspapers Wednesday, more than 30 pro-reform leaders urged him to block “unconstitutional measures” adopted by the council.