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Conservatives Unite in Tehran to Maintain Parliamentary Control

Iranians pass by a booth displaying campaign posters on Saturday (AFP)
Iranians pass by a booth displaying campaign posters on Saturday (AFP)
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Conservatives Unite in Tehran to Maintain Parliamentary Control

Iranians pass by a booth displaying campaign posters on Saturday (AFP)
Iranians pass by a booth displaying campaign posters on Saturday (AFP)

Key factions within the Iranian conservative camp have agreed on a joint list for the upcoming legislative elections in Tehran. This agreement comes amidst efforts by authorities to encourage voter turnout.

Government sources reported on Sunday that the “Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces” political alliance, led by current parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the hardline “Front of Islamic Revolution Stability,” have agreed on a unified list of candidates.

They aim to maintain control over 30 constituencies in Tehran and its suburbs.

Ghalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, will lead the list alongside Morteza Aghatehrani, a hardline cleric and current member of parliament.

The joint list has been confirmed as final by both sides. There were discussions between the factions before reaching this agreement.

Despite earlier reports suggesting a change in Ghalibaf’s electoral district, he remains at the forefront of the conservative list in Tehran.

Some conservative figures have voiced concerns about the increasing number of electoral lists, which could boost the chances of independent or moderate-conservative aligned candidates.

Confirmation of Ghalibaf’s candidacy in Tehran came alongside news that a member of his team, Deputy Mohsen Dehnavi, had agreed to withdraw. This decision followed allegations of bribery involving an Iranian factory owner.

Efforts to encourage voter turnout have intensified amid concerns over public discontent and economic challenges due to US sanctions.

These elections follow widespread protests in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini during police custody over a veiling dispute.

President Ebrahim Raisi hopes for a robust parliament to support the people and government, while Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian sees every vote as a statement of Iran’s standing internationally.

Key players in the reformist camp are leaning towards staying out of the elections after their main candidates refused to run, demanding certain conditions be met first.

However, former conservative lawmaker Ali Motahari, with support from moderates, recently announced the formation of the “Voice of the People” electoral list, which includes some reformists, moderates, and independents.

Last week, prominent reformist activists criticized a statement signed by 110 reformist activists, some living outside Iran, urging participation in the elections.

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France on the Back Foot in Africa after Chadian Snub

File photo: Chad's president Idriss Deby (R) talks with France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) during an official visit to meet with 'Barkhane' soldiers, at the Presidential palace in N'Djamena on December 23, 2018. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
File photo: Chad's president Idriss Deby (R) talks with France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) during an official visit to meet with 'Barkhane' soldiers, at the Presidential palace in N'Djamena on December 23, 2018. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
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France on the Back Foot in Africa after Chadian Snub

File photo: Chad's president Idriss Deby (R) talks with France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) during an official visit to meet with 'Barkhane' soldiers, at the Presidential palace in N'Djamena on December 23, 2018. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
File photo: Chad's president Idriss Deby (R) talks with France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) during an official visit to meet with 'Barkhane' soldiers, at the Presidential palace in N'Djamena on December 23, 2018. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

A French plan to significantly reduce its military presence in West and central Africa risks backfiring and further diminishing the former colonial power's influence in the region at a time when Russia is gaining ground.
A French envoy to President Emmanuel Macron this week handed in a report with proposals on how France could reduce its military presence in Chad, Gabon and Ivory Coast, where it has deployed troops for decades, Reuters reported.
Details of the report have not been made public but two sources said the plan is to cut the number of troops to 600 from around 2,200 now. The sources said Chad would keep the largest contingent with 300 French troops, down from 1,000. However, in a surprise move that caught French officials on the hop, the government of Chad - a key Western ally in the fight against militants in the region - on Thursday abruptly ended its defense cooperation pact with France. That could lead to French troops leaving the central African country altogether.
"For France it is the start of the end of their security engagement in central and Western Africa," said Ulf Laessing, director of the Sahel Program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Mali.
"Chad was the aircraft carrier of the French army, its logistical headquarters. If Chad doesn't exist, the French army will have a huge problem to keep running its other operations."
In a further blow to France, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told French state TV on Thursday it was inappropriate for French troops to maintain a presence in his country, where 350 French soldiers are currently based. France has already pulled its soldiers out from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, following military coups in those West African countries and spreading anti-French sentiment. Paris is also shifting more attention to Europe with the war in Ukraine and increasing budgetary constraints, diplomats said.
The review envisions the remaining French soldiers in the region focusing on training, intelligence exchange and responding to requests from countries for help, depending on their needs, the sources said. Chad's move to end the cooperation deal had not been discussed with Paris and shocked the French, according to the two sources and other officials. France, which wants to keep a presence in Chad in part because of its work to help ease one of the world's worst humanitarian crises unfolding now in neighboring Sudan, responded only 24 hours after Chad made its announcement.
"France takes note and intends to continue the dialogue to implement these orientations," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
One of the two sources, a French official with knowledge of Chadian affairs, said Chad's government appeared to have seen the French decision to more than halve its military presence there as a snub. Chad also felt the French would no longer be in a position to guarantee the security of the military regime led by President Mahamat Idriss Deby, this source said.
Macron had backed Deby despite criticism since Deby seized power following the death of his father, who ruled Chad for 30 years until he was killed in 2021 during an incursion by rebels. Deby won an election held this year.
In its statement on Thursday evening, released hours after the French foreign minister had visited the Sudanese border in eastern Chad with his counterpart, Chad's foreign ministry said N'djamena wanted to fully assert its sovereignty after more than six decades of independence from France. It said the decision should in no way undermine the friendly relations between the two countries. Earlier this year, a small contingent of US special forces left Chad amid a review of US cooperation with the country.
The French drawdown, coupled with a US pullback from Africa, contrasts with the increasing influence of Russia and other countries, including Türkiye, on the continent. Russian mercenaries are helping prop up the military governments of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, and are also fighting alongside them against extremist militants. However, French officials and other sources played down Russia's ability to take advantage of the French setback in Chad, at least in the short term. The French source familiar with Chadian affairs noted that Russia and Chad backed rival factions in Sudan's war. Russia also has major military commitments in Syria and the war in Ukraine.