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| Principlists (Iranian politics) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Principlists |
| Country | Iran |
Principlists (Iranian politics) are a conservative political alignment in the Islamic Republic of Iran associated with adherence to the principles of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and loyalty to the velayat-e faqih leadership. They position themselves in opposition to reformist and moderate currents associated with figures from the Iranian reform movement, and have played a central role in contests involving institutions such as the Assembly of Experts, Guardian Council, Expediency Discernment Council, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Principlists include politicians linked to the administrations of Ali Khamenei, Mohammad-Ali Rajai, Mohammad-Javad Bahonar, Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and other conservative elites.
Principlists articulate an ideology that emphasizes fidelity to the teachings of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the doctrine of velayat-e faqih as interpreted by Ali Khamenei, advocacy of Islamic social values derived from Shi'a Islam, and resistance to perceived Western cultural influence represented by United States and United Kingdom policies. They frequently invoke revolutionary-era slogans linked to the Iran–Iraq War era leadership and the legacy of figures such as Sadegh Khalkhali and Mohammad Beheshti. Their rhetoric often references legal texts like the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and judicial frameworks administered by organs such as the Judiciary of Iran and the Guardian Council.
Principlists trace roots to the post-1979 factional alignments that coalesced around support for Ruhollah Khomeini after the Iranian Revolution. Early alignments included clerical networks centered on Qom seminaries and revolutionary councils populated by veterans of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and members of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization before its splits. During the 1980s and 1990s, alliances formed around personalities such as Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Akbar Hashemi, and Mohammad-Ali Rajai, while later consolidation occurred around figures opposing the Iranian reform movement exemplified by Mohammad Khatami and his supporters in the Tehran City Council. Electoral realignments following the 1999 student protests and the 2009 presidential election further shaped Principlist coalitions, as seen in contests involving Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Principlists are not monolithic; major currents include hardliners associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, pragmatic traditionalists linked to networks around Ali Larijani and Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, populist conservatives tied to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and allies such as Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, and clerical conservatives close to Seyyed Ahmad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani opponents. Prominent Principlist politicians and operatives include Mohsen Rezaee, Ebrahim Raisi, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Eje'i, Ali Larijani, Sadeq Larijani, Manouchehr Mottaki, Ali Akbar Velayati, Parviz Fattah, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Mostafa Mirsalim, and others connected to groups like the Combatant Clergy Association and the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran.
Principlists have employed strategies mixing religious authority appeals, patronage networks, and control of candidate vetting via bodies such as the Guardian Council to influence elections for the Islamian Consultative Assembly (Parliament), presidential races, and local councils. They have alternated between electoral success and setbacks: victories include parliamentary majorities in various convocations and presidential wins such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ebrahim Raisi, while defeats include setbacks to Mohammad Khatami and reformist coalitions led by Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Tactical alliances with centrist figures like Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani have occurred, and intra-elite competition has manifested in disputes involving the Expediency Discernment Council and nomination battles influenced by Supreme Leader endorsements.
Domestically, Principlists advocate policies emphasizing Islamic cultural norms promoted through institutions like the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and enforcement bodies associated with the Basij paramilitary. Economic approaches vary from state-interventionist to market-oriented pragmatism, with proposals championed by proponents such as Ebrahim Raisi favoring social welfare measures and activists like Mohsen Rezaee emphasizing self-sufficiency linked to policies responding to international sanctions especially by the United States. In foreign affairs, Principlists prioritize resistance to United States foreign policy, nuclear policy stances reflected in negotiations with the P5+1 and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, strategic ties with allies such as Syria and non-state actors like Hezbollah, and regional competition involving Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Principlist influence is embedded in institutional actors including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij, the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts, the Judiciary of Iran, and conservative parties and coalitions such as the Islamic Coalition Party, Combatant Clergy Association, Society of Seminary Teachers of Qom, and the Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran. Media outlets and think tanks sympathetic to Principlists include state-affiliated broadcasters like Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting and press organs aligned with conservative clerical networks. Religious seminaries in Qom and networks of shrine custodianship also serve as bases of ideological cohesion.
Principlists face criticism from reformists, international observers, and civil society groups over issues including human rights concerns raised by organizations concerned with the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, the role of unelected vetting by the Guardian Council, allegations of corruption involving figures scrutinized in cases linked to the Judiciary of Iran, and the use of security apparatuses such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij in domestic suppression. Controversies have centered on disputed elections, internal factional purges, and disputed policy outcomes during presidencies such as those of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ebrahim Raisi, as well as debates over transparency in institutions like the Expediency Discernment Council and the Assembly of Experts.
Category:Politics of Iran