Strict control of candidacies in Iran

The Regime Guidance Ministry's press control committee has also announced that the publication of any content aimed at persuading and encouraging people to boycott or reduce participation in the elections, unauthorised protest rallies, strikes and sit-ins are examples of criminal content. 

Regime Television 5 June 2024: 

Presenter: Presidential candidates' campaigns have not started yet, some (candidates) have started electoral immorality in cyberspace. The deputy of the judiciary said that insults and slander in cyberspace are monitored and offenders are dealt with legally. 

Reporter: In these elections, the judiciary is constantly monitoring and dealing with violations. 

Jahangir, vice president for social affairs and crime prevention of the judiciary: If supporters of candidates slander, insult and humiliate other candidates, those who have unfairly and illegally attacked people will be summoned in time and dealt with according to the law.  

Reporter: The deputy of the judiciary also warned cyberspace users to avoid insulting, destroying and slandering volunteers.  

Hossein Shariatmadari, close to Ali Khamenei and former editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan, wrote: (With the approval of the IEA Board of Governors' resolution), they want to add ballots of pro-negotiation candidates. To counter this trick, the government's duty is to expel all the Agency's inspectors from Iran. 

Will the qualifications of only ten candidates be confirmed? 

While the director of state radio and television announced that he planned to give a platform to ten candidates in the televised debates, a government expert said: Those who continue with the current government will be approved. There will be no change of line.

- As the conflict between clans close to Khamenei intensifies within the regime, Vahidi, the regime's Interior Minister, warned against ‘damaging’ the ‘spiritual atmosphere’ achieved after the death of Ebrahim Raisi. 

- Mollah ZulNouri, whose duty it is to register candidates for the elections, declared that the presidential election must be won by someone with whom Ali Khamenei feels completely at ease. Because Khamenei cannot act against the Sharia and its principles to please the president. 

- Mullah Haj-Sadeghi, Khamenei's representative in the IRGC: ‘If you want to elect a president, elect a soldier for the Supreme Leader, not someone who listens to the Supreme Leader's words today and speaks against him tomorrow. Otherwise. Today we want the president who will not close the school of Ebrahim Raisi...". 

- Karbaschi, former mayor of Tehran: the electoral system is flawed and a joke. Elections are not a joke, we have turned them into a game of registering and then checking qualifications. 

- The Tasnim news agency, belonging to the Quds Force, the foreign arm of the IRGC, wrote against Haqqanian, a presidential candidate who ran as executive deputy and special adviser to Khamenei's office: "Those who used to have responsibilities in the Supreme Leader's office, but now according to their own judgement and discretion they have registered for the elections on their own and quite individually... It is more important for everyone to know that what has happened is not an action by the office (of the Supreme Leader), but an individual decision that has nothing to do with the office of the Supreme Leader...". 

- Commenting on Ahmadinejad's candidacy, Mullah Bigdeli wrote: "He has become the cause of sanctions. Iran's legendary revenues of 800 billion dollars have been squandered by his government". (Just for your information: during Ahmadinejad's time, the nuclear programme gained momentum)

- Iman-Abadi, a former member of the Regime's parliament, wrote about Qalibaf's security chief: I told independents during the Rise junta elections that voting for Qalibaf (current speaker of parliament) was a betrayal of the regime. They said he had promised not to be a presidential candidate. I said that carpet weaving does not abide by any principles and that lust has power. He added: After searching the carpet weavers, they said we had made a mistake. 

- Former President Mohammad Khatami: If the Reform Front's proposal comes to fruition (the group's candidates are confirmed), I will participate in the elections. Depending on the situation, it may be justified to participate in the elections, even if the electoral conditions are not entirely favourable!