Baku, Azerbaijan, July 24
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Hardliner Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati was re-elected as chairman of Guardian Council.
Jannati was re-elected at a meeting of the councillors on July 23, during which the 12-member body also voted for Mohammad Reza Alizadeh as the deputy chairman of the council, the country's Mehr news agency reported on July 24.
The 87-years old politician has served as the secretary of the Guardian Council for 22 years.
The Guardian Council of Constitution has 12 members, a half of them (clerics) are appointed directly by Supreme Leader and the remaining ones (law experts) are introduced by Judiciary System and are qualified by Parliament.
According to the Iranian Constitution, the Guardian Council is tasked with approving candidates for presidential, parliamentary and City Council races and supervising elections.
Any bill passed by the parliament must also be reviewed and approved by the Guardian Council to become a law. The Council can also nullify a law based on two cases: in case it is against Islamic laws or if it is against the constitution.
Constitutionally, the six law experts are elected by the parliament and the six religious jurists are appointed by the Supreme Leader.
Edited by CN