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MPs` mass resignation draws mixed reactions

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Feb 2, IRNA -- One hundred and sixteen Iranian parliament 
members extended their resignations on Sunday in protest to mass 
disqualification of candidates from standing in the parliamentary 
elections on February 20. 
They announced their resignations in a joint letter, read by 
Tehran MP Mohsen Mir-Damadi and the MP from central Isfahan Rajab-Ali 
Mazrouie. 
The move by the lawmakers has entailed mixed reactions among 
the Iranian officials. 
The following are excerpts of comments made by some Iranian 
officials and parliamentarians concerning the issue: 
** Interim Friday prayers leader of Qum, Ayatollah Abdullah Javadi 
Amoli: Resignation plus strike are not a prestige. 
**Deputy Governor General of Qum for the Political and Security 
Affairs, Fathollah Haqiqi: Officials in Qum will for the best of 
their efforts make sure rights of those branded unfairly as 
disqualified be restored. 
**Secretary of the Association of University Instructors Mohsen 
Rahami: People, students and academicians are seriously concerned 
over and embarrassed by mass resignation of more than 122 MPs; 
definitely, Iranian nation will not remain indifferent towards the 
issue. There is no way but postponing the elections. 
**Head of Justice Department in Khuzestan Province Amir Abbas Sohrab 
Beig: Disqualification of certain volunteers by Guardian Council 
does not mean refusing to hold the upcoming elections; the elections 
are of high significance and any effort to avoid their holding will 
be a crime. 
**Chief of Justice Department in Tehran Abbasali Alizadeh: 
Justice Department will bar itself from any action as long as the 
strikes remain something civil and as long as no crime is committed; 
no crime has thus far been committed. 
**MP from Qazvin Nasser Qavami: Guardian Council has been unfair in 
screening the would-be candidates; ulima, high religious authorities, 
government and President Mohammad Khatami in particular are urged not 
to allow the "illegal" elections be held. 
**MP from Tehran Davood Soleymani: MPs have gone on strike just for 
restoration of their rights; they have been trying to avoid history of
the nation going diverted. 
**Representatives of the protesting MPs, tendering their resignation: 
Representatives of Iranian nation had no way but resignation in 
protest to blatant violation of the nation`s rights and omission of 
the republican feature of the system; MPs will no more be accomplices 
to those following their own interests in the name of reforms. 
**Lawmaker from Abadan (Khuzestan Province) Mohammad Rashidian: 
Guardian Council comprises of six lawyers and six jurisprudents who 
are expected not to make mistakes or tell lie; the Constitution has 
only empowered them to supervise the election and if it had the right 
to disqualify the candidates, the Constitution would have noted such a
right. Unfortunately, the Guardian Council has made its own 
interpretation of the Constitution driving the community to a 
situation in which we encounter wide scale disqualification of 
parliamentary candidates," he said. 
**MP from Damghan (Semnan Province) Hassan Sobhani: the article 95 of 
the bylaw of the parliamentary sessions does not authorize mass 
resignation. 
**MP from Savojbolagh (Tehran Province) Jaafar Golbaz: parliament is 
the essence of the public aspiration whose strength should be 
respected and safeguarded. The Guardian Council has provided a 
filtration in the name of Islam upon which they disqualify one-third 
of the sitting MPs. 
**Representative from Kazeroun (Fars Province) Mohammad Baqer 
Baqeri-Nejadian Fard: no one has the right to violate the legitimate 
rights of the people in the name of independence and territorial 
integrity. In light of the current situation, holding a competitive 
and fair election is impossible for the time being. The elections 
should be postponed. 
**Representative from Nahavand (Hamedan Province) Mohammad Reza Ali 
Hosseini: Secretary of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati 
has levelled unjust accusations against the MPs. 
**Representative of Marivan (Kurdestan Province) Abdollah Sohrabi: 
unjust action has taken place and that the representatives of the 
people have been disqualified for unjust accusations. The Guardian 
Council should present its documents for the charges it has levelled 
against the MPs. 
**Lawmaker from Tehran Ali Shakuri-Rad: 114 MPs, submitting their 
resignations, call on the presiding board of the parliament to 
acknowledge receipt of the resignations. 
**Prosecutor general, Abd an-Nabi Namazi: Judiciary is well prepared 
to help hold parliamentary election on February 20; judiciary supports
the Guardian Council and would help hold the election on schedule. 
**First Deputy Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Reza Khatami: The MPs 
staging a sit-in believe that holding the February-20 elections under 
present circumstances would be illegal and that it would somehow mark 
the end to the reform movement. 
**Head of Electoral Supervisory Board of Tehran, Shahr-e Rey and 
Shemiranat Hojatoleslam Ahmad Azimizadeh: given any resignation under 
the current conditions would be taken as interference with the 
elections trend, it would be subject to prosecution. 
**MP from Tehran Mohsen Mir-Damadi: Going ahead with the election on 
February 20 under the existing circumstances will be a nail in the 
coffin of republicanism. 
Over 2,000 prospective candidates from among more than 8,000 of 
those who registered for the elections have been declared as 
disqualified by the Guardians Council. 
Among those barred are more than 80 sitting MPs, who held a sit-in
for more than two weeks in protest to the disqualifications. 
216/216 
End