Iran interior minister warns conservatives over election tricks

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 25

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani-Fazli has warned the conservative groups in Iran regarding use of various tricks to win the parliamentary election.

Iranians will cast ballots on Feb. 26 to elect new parliamentarians and theologians for the country's top clerical body that appoints the country's most influential person, the Supreme Leader. The key elections are taking place six weeks after the removal of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

It is against the law to organize trips to bring voters from villages to Tehran in order to cast ballots in favor political groups or fractions, Rahmani-Fazli said in an interview with state-run TV.

According to the law, people can cast votes anywhere for parliament election but it is against the law if they cast ballots not in their own city, intentionally giving support for a specific group, he added.

Apparently Rahmani-Fazli made the remarks following an Iranian reformist figure, Rasoul Montajabnia who earlier accused the conservatives of unfair play.

Montajabnia previously called on the interior ministry to investigate allegations suggesting the conservatives have decided to bring over one million people from villages to Tehran in order to cast ballot in their favor.

While the moderate President Hassan Rouhani wants the majority of the seats in the currently conservative-populated parliament and the Assembly of Experts to be occupied by his supporters, the rival conservatives are making all-out efforts to protect the seats.