The Start of a New Era for the Expediency Discernment Council Marks the End of Nateq’s Role
Today, with the issuance of the sixth term appointments for the Expediency Discernment Council by Ayatollah Khamenei, this leadership-affiliated institution begins its new term. However, there is no news of extending the appointment of Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri, a former member of this body.
Nateq Nouri, who is now considered a moderate figure in the political arena, was removed from his last official and governing position despite being, along with his peer Velayati, one of the most experienced members of the council.
His notable and significant past includes being at the helm of the Ministry of Interior and the presidency of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. In June 1997, many domestic and foreign analysts considered him the predetermined winner of the system, but the surprising turnout and the twenty million votes for his charming rival, Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, led to his political defeat, though he never lost his ethics.
After that competition, he declared that he would no longer participate in any electoral competition and adhered to this decision following the principles of the ancient sport, which is his favorite.
This was in a situation where, at several critical junctures, he was approached and requested by the camp of his former rival and current friend. However, the tumultuous events of 2009 were also shocking for Nateq, and Ahmadinejad’s financial accusations against the children of the principlist sheikh pushed him towards the rival camp. Gradually, Nateq adopted a more moderate stance than principlism, to the point where he supported and echoed the choices of the reformists in the last presidential and Assembly of Experts elections.
These stances have now presented Nateq with a bill, with the least cost being the removal of his name from the Expediency Discernment Council, although trusted individuals close to him had previously reported his lack of interest in returning to this institution.
Therefore, it can be said that Sheikh Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri has reached the end of a lifetime of political activity, and an effective and moderate piece has been removed from the not-so-black-and-white chessboard of the Islamic Republic’s politics.