Ayatollah Khomeini’s grandson enters politics

The candidacy of Hassan Khomeini, the Ayatollah’s most prominent grandson and custodian of his household, signals a new era.

Agrandson of the late founder of the Islamic Republic has registered his candidacy for the forthcoming elections to Iran’s assembly of experts, a clerical body in charge of appointing the next Supreme Leader.

The immediate family of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the former leader and the architect of the 1979 revolution, have largely stayed on the sidelines of politics in Iran, avoiding senior official roles.

But the candidacy of Hassan Khomeini, the Ayatollah’s most prominent grandson and custodian of his household, signals a new era as he enters politics wholeheartedly.

On Friday, Hassan Khomeini took his national ID, together with passport-sized photos, to the Ministry of the Interior in Tehran to officially put his name on the list for the upcoming elections. They are to be held in February, on the same day as the parliamentary elections. But his candidacy must be approved by the powerful Guardian Council, an unelected body that vets all candidates before any elections in Iran.

The 43-year-old cleric is sympathetic to reformists and backed Hassan Rouhani, the moderate Iranian President, in the 2013 presidential vote. Despite leading reformist figures having been marginalised over the past decade and often blocked from running in elections, Hassan Khomeini’s status means his candidacy is likely to be approved. He said on Friday that he will run as an independent, but he is already being touted as a future reformist hope.

The Guardian Council, a body of clerics and jurists close to the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has in the past blocked many reformist and independent candidates from running in elections.

Although the assembly of experts does not have much power as long as Khamenei (76) is alive, it would regain its decisive role at the time of his death. As members will not face re-election for another eight years, the next assembly is highly likely to play an instrumental role in finding a successor to Khamenei. It is currently dominated by hardliners, but with the likes of Hassan Khomeini, reformists are pinning their hopes to shift the political balance within the group towards moderation.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s succession has largely remained a taboo subject, but an increasing number of senior Iranian politicians have commented on the subject in recent months, igniting the debate in private on who will succeed him.

Some, including Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, have even suggested that Iran could be ruled by a council of leaders after Khamenei, rather than a sole supreme one. The military has strongly rebuked such suggestions, but the mere fact that the issue is being discussed shows an internal power struggle has already begun.