January 15, 2016

VOA: Interview with Yan St-Pierre – Iran Reformists Seek Electoral Gains After Nuclear Deal

January 15, 2015

Voice of America

Heather Murdock from VOA News interviewed Yan St-Pierre on “Iran Reformists Seek Electoral Gains After Nuclear Deal“:

As elections approach, the president and his allies are in a hurry to show the public and religious leaders this deal lives up to its promises, according to analysts. “He is a bit of in a rush to implement and to have the sanctions lifted by election time,” said Yan St-Pierre, who heads the security consulting group MOSECON. “So he can say, ‘Look, my plan is actually working, we are on course.’” The elections will be critical in shaping Iranian policy for years to come, St-Pierre added.

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The Assembly of Experts also has considerable power to affect the outcome of the election, according to St-Pierre of MOSECON. The religious body has the authority to accept or reject candidates before the vote. “The vetting process allows them to put a candidate who will be more inclined to support their position in parliament,” he said. “So that’s part of the process to ensure the upper circle — the Assembly of Experts and the clerics, the Supreme Council — maintain the ultimate power.” This doesn’t exclude the possibility that the newly-elected leadership will be more reform-minded, noted St-Pierre.

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