TEHRAN - The central principlist council declared its existence on Wednesday in the run-up to the February 26 parliamentary election.

“We are here to announce the formation of the central principlist coalition council,” the coalition spokesman, Qolam Ali Haddad-Adel, said in a press conference.

“Principlist means faithfulness to Islam and the Islamic Revolution. By principles we mean the principles that Imam and the Supreme Leader have outlined for the continuance of the revolution,” added Haddad-Adel who is the current chairman of the Majlis Cultural Committee and held the post of speaker from 2004 to 2008.

Elections are a good opportunity to show national unity and political insight, the scholar-turned politician noted.

“We consider helping the government first by amity and then by constructive criticism,” Haddad-Adel stated.

Analysts predict that moderate figures from both principlist and reformist factions to occupy most of the seats in the parliament as the current government is boasting “moderation” as its most notable tangible record which brought an end to nuclear dispute with the West.

Haddad-Adel, a candidate in the 2013 presidential election who drew his candidacy a few days prior to the election, said a Majlis that is “formed by the government” will not benefit neither the country nor the government.

The principlist leader added that his political coalition will prioritize economic issues during the next parliament.

However, he said the coalition has not yet arrived at a common list of candidates.

SP/P