TEHRAN – Members of the principlist faction of the House of Parties have criticized the plan to hold parliamentary elections at provincial level, saying the plan is “premature” and needs further study.

According to Fars, the principlist politicians reached a consensus in their first meeting on Tuesday that the plan is “ill-considered” and “deep expert work” has not been done on it.

Also, Guardian Council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodaei said on Saturday that the council will mull over the bill on Thursday.

Kadkhodaei had earlier said the council neither opposes nor favors provincial elections.

“We have had meetings with the Interior Ministry with this regard,” Kadkhodaei said, adding, “The bill on amending the Majlis election law was on the agenda last week, but we couldn’t finish it due to its lengthiness.”

“I cannot predict whether the bill would be implemented by the [2020] parliamentary elections,” he stated.

The parliamentary election will be held on February 21, 2020.

The Guardian Council vets candidates for presidential, parliamentary, and Assembly of Experts elections and monitors elections.

MH/PA