TEHRAN - The motion proposed by MPs to hold presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously runs contrary to the Constitution, Deputy Interior Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad-Hossein Musapur said here on Friday.

“Holding two important elections at the same time, each of which determines the destiny of a key branch of the government, can cause instability in the implementation of plans,” Musapur told the Mehr News Agency.

The bill to hold the two major national elections at the same time was given an endorsement by Majlis deputies on Wednesday but is yet to receive final approval.

The Majlis is studying a proposal by the administration to hold presidential and municipal elections together and parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections at the same time, he added.

“The administration’s proposal does not run contrary to the Constitution, and it is easier to implement,” Musapur noted.

The Mehr News Agency also discussed the issue with several other political figures on Friday.

Expediency Council member Majid Ansari said that the EC and Guardian Council will definitely reject the bill.

In the Iranian legislative system, every parliamentary bill must be approved by the watchdog Guardian Council to become a law and if a problem arises between the two bodies, the Expediency Council arbitrates to resolve the issue.

“The date of presidential elections may be changed due to the death, resignation, or removal of the president, so it can not always be held concurrently with the presidential polls,” Ansari said.

Majlis Vice Speaker Mohammad-Reza Bahonar said that a comprehensive expert plan should be formulated for holding elections simultaneously.

“We don’t have to act against the Constitution for this. The government’s proposal can be the best solution,” he observed.

It had been planned to hold the 2016 parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections at the same time and it is legally possible to increase or decrease the terms of municipal councils to match those elections with the presidential vote, he explained.

But it is against the Constitution to alter the four-year terms of MPs or the president, he said.

Foreign Ministry Election Department Director Ali-Asghar Karandish said that the Foreign Ministry does not agree with the bill and believes that it is not based on expert views.

He suggested that MPs wait until the administration presents the Majlis a comprehensive election bill in which all electoral and supervisory affairs have been addressed.

“The MPs can study the comprehensive bill and correct its deficiencies,” he added.

For the first time in the country’s history, the fourth Assembly of Experts and third local council elections were held concurrently on December 15, 2006. Reformist Ali Tajernia of the Islamic Iran Participation Party called the bill political, saying, “Some fundamentalists are trying to make the Guardian Council look more credible.” They want the Guardian Council to reject the motion so that they can publicize the fact that it opposed a bill sponsored by fundamentalist MPs, even though the GC is considered to be of the same camp, he added