January 27, 2016: Iran’s Council of Experts who oversee the ongoing implementation of the 1979 Revolution, will remain an all male body for the near future. The group, which is made up of 88 Shiite scholars, is responsible for selecting the Supreme Leader who wields absolute power in Iran.
According to Radio Zamaneh, of the 373 people who applied to run for a spot on the highly influential council, only 166 were approved to stand for the elections. Not only was the application of the grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini rejected, but so were all the applications of all 16 female candidates. “There has only been one female member of the Assembly of Experts in the history of the Islamic Republic; Monireh Ali served on the very first Assembly of Experts. Since then, the council has not approved any women to launch a campaign.”
