Along with the deputies of Parliament, some 61 million Iranian voters will be called to the polls next Friday to elect members of the Assembly of Experts, a body which is expected to play a crucial role in the coming years.
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With our correspondent in Tehran, Siavosh Ghazi
The Assembly of Experts is made up of 88 religious people elected for a period of eight years. His main task will be to choose after his death the successor to the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, soon to be 85 years old.
The current assembly is controlled by the conservatives, who should maintain their control over this vital body. In fact, moderate or reforming candidates were disqualified in advance by the Council of Guardians of the Constitution, also controlled by conservative religious people.
This is the case of the moderate former president Hassan Rouhani, who was a member of this assembly for more than 25 years, and who denounced an unconstitutional approach.
Among the 500 registered candidates, only 144 candidates were approved, or less than two candidates for each of the Assembly seats.
The conservatives will further strengthen their control over the organs of power for a smooth transition. The supreme guide is in fact the highest political and religious authority in the country, and the choice of his successor will be on the agenda in the coming years.
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