Tehran 18 February _Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the secretary of Iran’s Guardian Council (GC), which vets candidates for elections, has highlighted the importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country, calling on observers of the votes to help executive committees hold “healthy and lawful elections” under close scrutiny and without interference in the voting process.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)-In a Tuesday message addressed to the monitors of the elections due on Friday, Ayatollah Jannati said all observers, regardless of their political or factional inclinations, had to apply the rule of law and avoid bias.
As stated in law, he said, the country’s armed forces, the three branches of government, and intelligence and security apparatus are not allowed to interfere in the voting procedure.
“Any misuse of public resources and government facilities in favor of a current or future candidate is contrary to electoral justice,” he said.
He said that all observers were obliged to make sure that the candidates are financially healthy and therefore less prone to fraud.
“All observers of the Guardian Council are obliged, with particular sensitivity to this matter, to confirm and announce the financial health of the candidates for the parliament and consider any documented and credible report regarding” any possible corruption cases.
“Do not neglect the rights of the people and the rights of the candidates,” Jannati told the observers, adding all candidate complaints should be reviewed and documented.
“Judgments in this regard are based solely on the rule of law and justice and there is a need to respond to their objections and questions,” he said.