Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, already President of the Council of Guardians, has been elected President of the Council of Experts.

The Council of Guardians (a type of Constitutional Council) approves laws and candidates for the elections. It sets asides candidates that it considers to be incompatible with Islam. During the last presidential election, it has thus sifted out the candidacy of the head of the cabinet of the outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During the legislative elections, it set aside almost 3, 000 candidates, from all leanings.

The Council of Experts appoints the Leader of the Revolution. Now, the current Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is thought to be seriously ill. Therefore, the President of this Council of Experts will play a central role in any action in pursuit of the Revolution. However in recent years, Ayatollah Khamenei had expanded his role: while continuing to show the direction of the Revolution to everyone, Iranians and foreigners, he had to strike a balance between the different Iranian political forces. This challenge had pushed some to request his removal from office.

Close to Ali Khamenei, Ahmad Jannati, 89 years old, is also known, for his anti-imperial commitment and for his purist interpretation of Islam. He is the father of Jannati, the former director of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), which directly depends upon the Leader. Jannati is now Cultural Minister for Culture for the Rohani government,

Translation
Anoosha Boralessa