Ayatollah Alireza appointed to temporary council that will govern till new supreme leader elected
Tehran: Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has been appointed to a three-member temporary council that, under Iran’s law, will govern until a new supreme leader can potentially be chosen.
The 67-year-old cleric is a member of the Guardian Council, the powerful constitutional watchdog body that must later select a supreme leader. His appointment to the temporary council was confirmed by the Expediency Council, an influential arbitration body.
Arafi will now serve alongside hardline cleric and judiciary chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei and President Masoud Pezeshkian on the interim body.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and security chief Ali Larijani are also expected to play key roles in shaping the political landscape, though it remains unclear where the balance of power will ultimately lie.
Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC has reportedly been assassinated for the second time in less than a year. The identity of the next leader of the powerful military and economic force has not yet been officially announced.
IRGC-linked Telegram channels are citing deputy chief Ahmad Vahidi as a likely candidate. Vahidi was appointed to the post by Khamenei two months ago.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
