October 30, 2020
Mohsen Rezai, the secretary of the Expediency Council, says Supreme Leader Ali Khamenehi has given the heads of the three branches of government full authority to make decisions on all major questions facing the country, but the trio has been unable to agree on much.
Khamenehi created the ad hoc council of President Hassan Rohani, then-Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chairman Ebrahim Raisi a little over a year ago and gave it huge powers.
Speaker Larijani has since retired and been replaced by Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, but the ruling triumvirate still exists.
The existence of the triumvirate was first revealed last November when it approved the three-fold increase in the price of gasoline, bypassing the Majlis.
Later, the triumvirate approved the budget for the current year—again bypassing the Majlis, which has the responsibility for the budget under the Constitution.
Since then, few major policies have been attributed to the triumvirate.
In an interview on state television in the middle of October, Rezai said the triumvirate still has “full authority” from Khamenehi to make policy.
But Rezai then expressed regret that the three men have failed to use the authority given to them.
Rezai didn’t say what issues they have taken up and been unable to resolve.
He implied the hangup is over economic policy when he said the triumvirate should hire “at least seven economists” to assist them because none of the three has the required expertise in economic issues.
He also said the three men “should take their joint meetings seriously” and hold more meetings than they have.