Khamenei loyalists may tighten grip at Iranian elections
DUBAI: Hardliners are set to tighten control of Iran in a parliamentary election stacked in their favour, as the leadership closes ranks with Washington.
Big gains by security hawks would confirm the political demise of the country’s pragmatist politicians, weakened by Washington’s decision to quit a 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions that stifled rapprochement with the West.
More hardliner seats on Feb 21 vote may also hand them another prize — more leeway to campaign for the 2021 contest for the presidency, a job with wide day-to-day control of the government.
Wide command of the power apparatus would open an era which the elite Revolutionary Guards, already omnipresent in the life of the nation, hold ever greater sway in political, social and economic affairs.
Allies of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have ensured hardliners dominate the field, removing moderates and leading conservatives and permitting voters a choice mostly between hardline and low-key conservative candidates loyal to him.
“Literally, it is not a race anymore. Hardliners want the presidency. This is the end of moderation for at least a decade if not more,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
Reuters
