Experts Assembly Leadership Session Moved to Ghom

The seventeenth session of the Assembly of Experts on Leadership – a body that elects the supreme leader of Iran and also monitors his work – that will be held in two months has been moved from Tehran to Ghom, according to the website of the assembly. The secretariat of the body announced that the presiding leadership of the council and the heads of its various committees will meet next Thursday to “exchange views on issues important to the experts” at the headquarters of the body in the city of Ghom. The body currently has no chairman since the death of Mahdavi Kani on October 21^st.

The official website of the assembly also says that in between the two annual meetings of the whole body, members of the presiding board meet between the two session to coordinate their work.

While such planning meetings of the leadership members normally meet in Tehran, this time the preliminary meeting will be held in the city of Ghom, but the website does not provide a reason for the change.

The current leadership members of the assembly after Kani are: seyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, Mohammad Yazdi, seyed Hashem Hosseini Bushehri, seyed Ibrahim Raisi, seyed Ahmad Khatami, and Ghorbanali Dori Najafabadi. President Hassan Rouhani heads two specific committees out of a total five on the assembly which are the political-social committee and the protection and security of the supreme leader committee.

According to some members of the assembly, a new chairman will be elected for the remaining term of the assembly at the next session.

Competition for the Vacant Chairmanship

The media and some members of the assembly have over the last months and weeks been talking about the possible replacement for Kani, who was viewed as the bridge between the hawks and moderates in the assembly. Ahmad Khatami, for example who is a member of the presiding board of the assembly told al-Alem network, “It is not clear who will make himself a candidate for the next election, but a number of names are circulating. One is ayatollah Hashemi Shahrudi, who is currently the vice-chairman of the body. Another name is that of ayatollah Yazdi who is the second vice-chairman. Yet another name is that of ayatollah Janati who is the secretary of the clerics in the Guardians Council. And finally ayatollah Movahedi Kermani is also mentioned and he is Tehran’s temporary Friday prayer leader.

But these remarks have been challenged by associates of Hashemi Rafsanjani. A day after Janati’s remarks on the issue of succession of Kani, Jomhurie Eslami newspaper, which is generally viewed to reflect the views of the pragmatists of the regime, wrote, “A source close to ayatollah Rafsanjani has said that the remarks by a member of the Experts Assembly to the effect that Mr. Rafsanjani does not intend to run for the leadership of the assembly are not correct.”

The newspaper story went further and said that this source has said that not only does Mr. Rafsanjani not preclude running for the post of the chairman of the assembly, but if some unqualified individuals run for the post, then he would definitely announce his candidacy.

Reza Soleymani, the director the public relations office of the State Expediency Council chaired by Mr. Rafsanjani, also rejected Ahmad Janati’s remarks when speaking to Etemad newspaper and said, “If the ayatollah (i.e. Rafsanjani) senses that his presence necessitates that he lead the assembly, then he will most certainly announce his candidacy. If he sees that this is not necessary, then he will not be a candidate.”

This exchange resulted in Ahmad Khatami’s follow up of the issue. Speaking to Fars news agency which is run by the Revolutionary Guards, on October 30, Khatami said, “Shahrudi, Janati, Yazdi and Movahedi Kermani are possible candidates while some have also expressed an interest for ayatollah Rafsanjani. Some newspapers have even mentioned ayatollah Imami Kashani as a possible candidate.”

Mr. Rafsanjani withdrew his candidacy in the last round of elections for the top position in the Assembly of Experts after being accused by some of supporting the public protests of 2009 which the regime calls a sedition. He was a presidential candidate in 2013 but was rejected by the Guardians Council indicating that he no longer enjoyed the complete support of the top leadership of the regime. But he threw his support and those of his followers behind candidate Hassan Rouhani in the election and since the new administration enjoys greater support in the political circles of the country.

During the last meeting of the Assembly of Experts on Leadership a group put forward a motion to pass the leadership of the body to the vice-chairman of the body (Kani was already in a coma in hospital) but the move failed to win enough votes and so Kani remained the titular chairman until his death.