Ahmad Jannati

Ahmad Jannati has been a member of the Guardian Council since its founding in 1980, and its secretary since 1992 — the longest-tenured figure in any constitutional body of the Islamic Republic. A founding member of the hardline Haghani Seminary in Qom alongside Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, he is among the most extreme voices in Iranian politics, repeatedly calling for the execution of political opponents and systematically disqualifying reformist candidates. He served concurrently as Chairman of the Assembly of Experts. His continuation in office into his late nineties has been attributed to political calculation over capacity.