MAJLES APPROVAL OF KHATAMI’S BILLS OPENS THE WAY FOR NEW CLASHES

TEHRAN 7 Mar. (IPS)                  As the conservatives-controlled Council of Guardians has warned that it would reject the bills presented last September by Iran's embattled President Mohammad Khatami aimed at curtailing the Guardians power of vetting candidates to different elections, the reformists-dominated Majles approved the proposals, opening the way for a new showdown between the two wing of the Iranian governing leadership.

The approval, on Wednesday, of the bills, that, besides taking from the Guardians their controversial Special Rights, or “approbatory supervision“, that reformists claims is “illegal”, while giving the president the power to supervise the application of the Constitution came after the reformists were crushed in the last national elections for city and rural councils.

A member of the reformist faction at the Majles had warned on Tuesday that in case the Guardians rejected the bills, lawmakers would not agree that the bills be sent to the Expediency Council that in such cases, would arbitrate between the CG and the Majles.

Controlled by the ruling conservatives and chaired by former president, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Expediency Council usually sides with the Guardians against the parliament.

The Majles also passed the bills even though Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, the leader of the Islamic Republic had expressed his support for the Guardians right to the vetting of candidates to ensure that “only pious candidates” are elected, based on their loyalty to the regime.

The assembly of Experts, the sole body in the Islamic Republic that is responsible for supervising the leader's performance and can remove him from power, but one that is controlled by the leader – since its 72 members must also be approved by the council of Guardians, itself controlled by the leader --, described the "approbatory supervision" as the "guardian" of the system and insisted that it should be maintained.

Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the former Chief Justice and an influent spokesman for the 12 members council of the Guardians has repeatedly said that the Guardians do approve or reject the credential of the candidates to various elections, -- except that of the city councils, which is supervised by the Interior Ministry -- based on Constitution, which, according to him, calls for candidates' religious beliefs and their commitment to the Islamic system of “velayat faqih”, meaning the absolute leadership of Mr. Khameneh'i.

But reformists insist that expressing loyalty to the Constitution was sufficient for candidates.

Ali Shakkoori Rad, a member of the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF) that has the largest number of seats in the Majles and is the official mouthpiece of President Khatami was quoted by the American news agency Associated Press that in case the Guardians reject the bills, reformists lawmakers would call for a national referendum.

Reformists personalities associated with the lamed President have advised him to either resign or to put the twin bills to a referendum should the Guardians reject them.

According to reformists, the president, or 100 lawmakers can make such a proposal and as the reformists control the Majles, then no one can object to the referendum, according to the Constitution.

But holding a referendum would not be easy for reformists, as, according to hardliners, not only the proposal, like any bother law passed by the House, must be approved by the Guardians, but also requires permission from the leader.

Another question is that it is not clear what exactly the reformists wants from referendum, for, the one which is proposed by the neo-reformers like the newly formed National Coalition of Iranians for Freedom or the students calls for a radical change in the regime, its transformation from a theocracy to a secular, democratic system.  

Political analysts say after the victory of the pro-conservative candidates in the city council elections, life for the official reformists would become even harder and the political atmosphere of the country to become more radical. ENDS REFORM BILLS 7303