Hundreds of reformist candidates in Iran have been barred from standing in parliamentary elections next month.
| God spoke to the theocrats and told them to take those guys off the list... |
The BBC reports that many reform MPs have walked out of parliament in protest at the ruling by the conservative body which decides who is allowed to contest the seats. No official announcement has been made about the exact number of disqualifications, as would be candidates are being informed individually. But local press reports said that just over half of the 1,700 people who presented themselves in the Teheran constituency have been turned down by supervisory committees of the council of guardians, the highly conservative watchdog body which has the right to vet candidates. According to reformist members of the outgoing parliament, those disqualified include 80 existing reformist deputies. Among them are some of the best known figures in the reform movement. They include President Khatami’s brother, Mohammed Reza Khatami, who heads the biggest reform party and is also deputy speaker of parliament. |