Parliament speaker faces ultra-hardliner backlash before leadership vote

Tensions are mounting among Iran's conservative factions as supporters of the Parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and his ultra-hardline rivals engage in an escalating war of words ahead of a key leadership vote.

A vote for the parliament's presidium is due to be held on May 27 to chose the speaker, his two deputies and six secretaries. The officials are key to running parliament, managing its sessions and deciding what to put on its agenda.

In a social media post on Tuesday, pro-Ghalibaf journalist Mahdi Yamini accused lawmakers from the Paydari (Steadfastness) Party and its allies of plotting against Ghalibaf ahead of the vote.

“A group of Paydari Party lawmakers … have started moves and meetings to lay the groundwork and make preparations for a coup against Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf ... Power struggle to the very gates of hell...!!!” he declared.

Ultra-hardliners’ criticism of Ghalibaf has intensified following his transmission of the controversial Palermo legislation to President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration for enforcement on Wednesday.

The law, conditionally approved by the Expediency Council on May 14 after years of delay, enables Iran to join the Palermo Convention—a key step toward removing the country from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) black list.

Ultra-hardliners, often referred to as super-revolutionaries, oppose the move, arguing that compliance with FATF requirements would undermine Iran’s ability to support regional allies and bypass international sanctions.

“Signing off on the Palermo Act means exposing all the financial networks we've used to circumvent sanctions,” wrote hardline activist Hadi Naseh in a post on X.

They accuse Ghalibaf—who opposed the Palermo and Counter-Terrorism Financing (CTF) conventions in 2019—of hypocrisy and betraying the national interest.

“What do you think happened that (the Palermo legislation) is now considered to benefit (Iran)?” ultra-hardliner politician Ali-Akbar Raefipour asked in a post on X citing Ghalibaf’s previous objection to joining these conventions.

Ghalibaf’s supporters argue that he was legally obliged to send the legislation to the administration for enforcement regardless of his personal stance.

“Understanding this doesn’t require any special genius as it is an established fact, Ghalibaf supporter and a former ally of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad posted on X.

'Law of Satan'

Despite the Supreme National Security Council's decision to temporarily postpone its implementation to avoid public backlash, ultra-hardliners have also condemned Ghalibaf for failing to forward a controversial new hijab enforcement law to the administration.

The legislation imposes harsh penalties—including fines and prison sentences—on women who fail to observe strict hijab rules and on businesses that do not enforce them.

"God's law is not enforced. The law of the Great Satan is enforced!" posted a fiery hijab advocate, Mehri Talebi-Darestani, on X.

Some Iranian media outlets such as Donya-ye Eghtesad predict another term as speaker for Ghalibaf despite the ultra-hardliners’ campaign against him.

Defeating ultra-hardliner Mojtaba Zolnouri, he won last year’s presidium vote with 198 out of 287 ballots. This was down from 234 in 2022 and 210 in 2023.

A hardliner who occasionally adopts pragmatic positions, Ghalibaf has served as speaker for five years but his grip on parliamentary leadership weakened after he fell behind three ultra-hardliner candidates in the March 2023 elections.

The former IRGC-commander won 447,000 votes in an elections marked by voter apathy, particularly in Tehran, where Mahmoud Nabavian became first with 597,000 votes out of a possible 7.7 miilon eligibles---the least for a Tehran frontrunner in all elections since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.