IRAN: Iran's reformist politicians suffered another blow yesterday when a proposal to amend the country's electoral law was vetoed by hardline conservatives.
The bill, passed by the reformist-dominated parliament in an emergency session on Sunday, proposed that candidates who had stood in previous elections could not be disqualified unless proper legal justification was submitted.
The reform was designed to counter the actions of the Council of Guardians, an unelected body of conservatives, who recently disqualified more than 3,000 candidates out of 8,200 from running in next month's parliamentary election.
The ban includes 80 of the current 290 members of parliament and was clearly aimed at reformist candidates.
Less than 24 hours after MPs voted, the proposed reform was rejected by the Guardian Council, the very body it was designed to thwart. The veto was met with renewed outrage by the reformists, who repeated threats to resign and to boycott the parliamentary elections set for February 20th.
The reformist cabinet also remained defiant, saying in a statement: "The government will continue its activities to help form conditions for fair, free and competitive elections . . . existence of competition is the main condition for holding the elections."
Since January 11th about 80 MPs have been staging a sit-in and dawn-to-dusk fasts in the lobby of the parliament building in protest at the disqualification of the electoral candidates.
Amid signs that the stand-off was beginning to garner wider public interest, student leaders announced they would protest the latest decision by the Guardian Council. Iranian newspapers yesterday reported that some writers and scholars across the country were staging a one-day fast in support of the sit-in.
The Guardian Council is reviewing appeals lodged by disqualified candidates and says it has so far reinstated about 400.
A final verdict is due on Friday, when the council is expected to deliver a verdict on who will be allowed on the ballot. Last week, the head of the Guardian Council, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati defended the ruling, and said a sufficient number of candidates had been qualified to ensure a competitive race.