Name? Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Westphalian Identity? Iranian
Age? 80
Why is he in the news? He is not really because the media already talked about Iran this year and are busy focusing on Covid-19 for some reason.
Why do we care? There were elections today for the Iranian parliament which conservatives won by a landslide, placing another political body under Khamenei’s control.
Why should you care? Because Khamenei is the main decision-maker in Iran and therefore responsible for Iran’s foreign policy. He ultimately decides about the possible development of nuclear weapons and the flow of money to various groups throughout the middle east. With this election, Khamenei gains more control than ever before.
Who else cares? The people of Iran did not vote in the elections. In Tehran, only 20-25% actually voted in the elections where more than half of the candidates, mostly moderates and even incumbents, hoping to be on the lists were ruled out by the Guardian Council of Iran. Because of this, many Tehranians were discouraged from voting.
Any further comments? Presidential elections are coming up next year and moderate incumbent Rohani has a difficult path ahead of him with a largely difficult to work with parliament. If Rohani tries to engage in talks with the West, the parliament can intervene. During the race for President, Rohani would then look weak and potentially lose the race, thus placing all political branches under Khamenei’s control.
