Factional make-up of new Majlis
BBC Monitoring
Source: Hamshahri
Text of report by Iranian newspaper `Hamshahri' web site on 8th June:
The election of the permanent Majlis presidium is expected to take place
next week now that the credentials of the two-third of the Majlis deputies
have been approved.
It seems that the [pro-Khatami] 2nd Khordad front will act in the same
manner in the election of the permanent Majlis presidium as it did in the
election of the interim Majlis presidium. Apparently, the 2nd Khordad's
consultations to present a joint list [of candidates] have not yielded
any results and each group will present a separate list.
Behzad Nabavi and Reza Khatami are expected to stand as candidates for
the deputy Majlis Speakers, though Majid Ansari's name has also been put
forward by the Majma-e Rowhaniyun-e Mobarez [Militant Clerics Society]
for the post.
The followings are estimates of the number of seats held by various
groups in the Majlis based on the election of the interim Majlis presidium:
Iran 's Partnership Front Party has 77 seats (30 per cent of votes), Militant
Clerics Society 67 seats (27 per cent of the votes), the right-wing faction
60 seats (20.6 per cent of votes), [Islamic] Labour [Party] 20 seats (7.7
per cent of votes), the independent [Majlis deputies] 20 seats (7.7 per
cent of votes), the Servants of Construction Party 15 seats (5.6 per cent).
The statistics have been gathered on the basis of the current 260 seats
of the Majlis. The statistics indicate that probably no single faction
in the Majlis will have an overall majority. However, the factions representing
the 2nd Khordad front have a majority of 71 per cent. This calculation
is based on the assumption that the Guardian Council approves the validity
of by-elections held in the remaining constituencies. If the Guardian Council
approves the elections in those constituencies, the number of deputies
representing the 2nd Khordad front will reach 202.
It has been said that it is unlikely that any major changes will take
place within the current Majlis presidium. Minor, however, changes are
expected to take place in the elections of the deputy Majlis Speaker, secretaries
and stewards [Persian: kar-pardaz]. Jabar-zadeh and Jalali-zadeh are expected
to be replaced by Sarhadi-zadeh and Qandari-zadeh as secretaries of the
Majlis presidium; and Nowruz-zadeh will replace Sazgar-zadeh as a steward.
At present the Militant Clerics Society enjoys much better manoeuvring
power than other 2nd Khordad groups this is because deputies outside the
2nd Khordad Front have close ties with the society.
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