Iran's Guardian Council refuses to budge

Saturday, 31 January 2004 12:00 AM

Iran's hard-line Guardian Council yesterday lifted its ban on the 1160 "liberal" candidates vying for seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections on February 20, according to local news sources.

But nearly two and half thousand of the 8,157 prospective candidates remain banned, allegedly for disrespecting Islam law enshrined in the constitution.

The reformers are planning to continue their boycott of the election.

Earlier, the leader of Iran's largest reformist party, Mohammad Reza Khatami, threatened a mass boycott of the elections unless the disqualified candidates were allowed to run.

Among the barred were more than 80 members of parliament, including Reza Khatami.

In a bid to find a way beyond the impasse, interior minister Abdolvahed Mussavi-Alari in a letter sent to the Guardians Council on Thursday, asked for the elections to be delayed so as to overcome the present difficulties.

But the Guardian Council rejected the request.

Ayat Allah Ahmad Janati of the Council said on Saturday: "The matter of postponing the election was not accepted."

In a letter to the interior ministry, Mr Janati said "the majority of the Iranian people and candidates are seeking the organisation of an election with large participation."

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