By Syed Zafar Mehdi
TEHRAN
With less than two weeks until Election Day, the first face-off between candidates in Iran’s presidential election saw a fierce exchange on a range of issues, mostly the fledgling economy.
Two reformist contenders in the fray faced blistering attacks from conservatives, mainly for the performance of the Hassan Rouhani-led reformist government, which ends its second term later this month.
The issues that figured prominently in the maiden debate included foreign sanctions, depleting currency, rising inflation, production, privatization, land-grab and even educational qualifications.
Judiciary chief and top conservative candidate Ebrahim Raeisi, who opened the debate, said production has to be made an attractive proposition and non-productive economic activities such as investment in foreign exchange and the gold market need to be discouraged.
On rising inflation, Raeisi, who has promised to bring it back to single digits, said a sustainable economy controls inflation and his government will have single-rate foreign currency.
Responding to a question on land grab, the two-time presidential candidate said the problem has been controlled due to the intervention of the judiciary that he heads and it can be solved through the formalization of documents, activation of NGOs and inviting people to observe the issue.
In a veiled attack on the incumbent government, Raeisi said in his capacity as judiciary chief, he found most legal cases of corruption linked to the executive branch.
Raeisi’s composure was disturbed when the two reformist candidates, Mohsen Mehralizadeh and Abdol-Nasser Hemmati, launched attacks on the conservative front-runner.
- Sparring
Mehralizadeh questioned Raeisi’s knowledge of the economy while Hemmati raised the issue of a conflict of interest as Raeisi continues to serve as judiciary chief while blaming the judiciary for the closure of several factories.
In response, Raeisi accused them of “insulting” him and blamed the incumbent reformist government for economic problems facing the country.
Alireza Zakani, a former lawmaker and conservative candidate, backed up Raeisi and slammed Hemmati, who served as the head of Iran’s state bank under Rouhani, for “covering the failure of Rouhani.”
In response to Hemmati’s charge that he was running against five people (conservatives), Zakani said the former top banker was running against 85 million people -- the country’s population. He accused Hemmati of “ruining the national currency.”
Zakani termed the notion that he was running as a cover for Raeisi “an accusation” and went on to say that he would prosecute a list of individuals, including the first vice president to “take back the right of people.”
Zakani said while previous administrations relied on oil revenues as the main source of income, the incumbent administration headed by Rouhani banked on “people’s pockets.”
Hemmati, a de-facto representative of the Rouhani administration, said the country needs a “generation of wealth to resolve problems” while claiming to have a “detailed plan” to bolster the agriculture sector. He also pledged to bring liquidity under control if elected president.
The former top banker also stressed the need for change in economic management, saying economists should be allowed to take the helm instead of politicians.
But he spent most of his time fending off attacks from conservative candidates, in particular, Zakani and Mohsen Rezaei, the former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief.
Rezaei boasted of having a “brand-new plan to govern the economy,” including a monthly cash subsidy of 450,000 toman ($20) to Iranians and increasing women’s participation in the government.
The military veteran launched a scathing attack on the Rouhani administration, calling his 2013 campaign symbol of a key “worthless” and describing his administration’s record as the “darkest since the (1979) revolution.”
He said if elected, he would bar Hemmati and other officials in the Rouhani administration from leaving the country because of economic treason and introduce them to the judiciary.
Hemmati reacted sarcastically, saying he would refer Rezaei to Raeisi, the judiciary chief, if he gets the mandate on June 18.
- Plans
Mohsen Mehralizadeh, a reformist candidate, in his remarks, said the administration needs to move with serenity and logic while referring to the former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami’s administration — in which he served as vice president.
He said one requirement to attract foreign investments is to have zero tension with other countries, spelling out his plan to build bridges regionally and internationally.
He said his main opponent in the race was Raeisi, whom he accused of lacking the economic knowledge to run the country and said his educational qualifications were not high.
Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, the former parliament deputy speaker, largely steered away from accusations, but criticized the government, which he said “has its knee on the neck of people.”
About ways to control wasteful imports, he said the import sector is grappling with “a big mafia,” which poses a direct threat to domestic production.
He also cited “mismanagement” as the main reason for simple problems facing the country remaining unresolved, adding that his administration will draw up a long-term plan to solve issues, instead of short-term plans to temporarily address them.
He also pledged to bring the inflation rate down to 5% in four years, and dole out marriage loans of 5 billion rial ($20,000) to young citizens, which seems attractive.
Saeed Jalili, the former nuclear negotiator, who mainly focused on his plans, said the future administration needs to have an iron will and faith in eliminating poverty and improving the lives of people.
Elaborating on his plan to increase foreign exchange earnings, Jalili said all institutions, apart from the petroleum ministry, should play a role.
He said Iran has great capacities in agriculture and industry, which can be utilized by the government, while referring to the mining sector as key to solving the employment problem.
