Referring to construction as a locomotive driving the economy, spokesman Afshin Parvinpour outlines Ebrahim Raisi’s plan to build four million houses for low income families over the next four years. Parvinpour said Raisi’s team had been working on the plan for seven months, that project will be financed from bank resources and designed by a strong financial team, and will not put pressure on the budget.
Mohsen Rezaei disputed claims that his 450,000 toman ($100 USD) monthly subsidy plan was populist, saying that it will be funded within three months of his inauguration through the elimination of shell companies and tax evasion.
Ali-Reza Zakani today said that he is not opposed to negotiations over the JCPOA, but he is against decisions made in twenty minutes, adding that “today’s talks in Vienna are the last auction of the Rouhani administration”.
Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh said that he will eliminate the university entrance exam (the concord) and replace it with a fairer form of assessment. Mehr-Alizadeh also said he will bring the universities more in line with the expectations of society, lessening the appearance of ivory towers, saying that “the universities must participate in solving the country's problems”.
The first of three documentaries produced for Amir-Hossein Ghzaizadeh Hashemi’s campaign aired tonight on national television. In the film, Ghazizadeh promotes his plans for Iran, “a government of peace”, as well as his image, introducing his family life. The film drew criticism online, with many Iranians calling the production derivative of the work of Iranian director Iraj Maleki. Another scene where Ghazizadeh spreads out a dining cloth (sofreh) over a carpet has been compared to the family garden scene in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 2005 campaign documentary. Each candidate has been allocated airtime and resources to produce three half-hour campaign documentaries.
Click on the headline to watch the full documentary on YouTube
Ebrahim Raisi has called for free internet for low income earners. Raisi described internet access as a “right”, saying that it was integral to education, the economy and research in general. Raisi added that the internet offered opportunities in employment, and therefore should be provided to low income earners.
Saeed Jalili started the day talking about his plans to tackle smuggling, saying that the practice, which is harmful to the country, is not limited to smugglers at the border, but rather his government will have to tackle the issue of a larger mafia which includes corruption of officials. Later that afternoon, Ali-Reza Zakani added his thoughts on the issue, saying “we have to eliminate profitability of smuggling by regulating the market, dealing with the causes of smuggling while also hunting those involved”.
Watch Saeed Jalili’s comments at Mashregh
Read Ali-Reza Zakani’s comments at Mehr
Mohsen Rezaei took aim at Abdol-Naser Hemmati’s record as Governor of the Central Bank in an interview today. Rezaei, who is putting himself forward as an expert on economy, saying that Hemmati has abandoned control over liquidity during his term as Governor, and allowed inflation to get out of control. Rezaei also made a reference to the protection of Ebrahim Raisi, mentioning comments by the Tehran Prosecutor that criticism of the judiciary by the candidates constitutes a red line. Reformist candidate Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh also criticised the red line issue, saying that Raisi should have resigned as Chief Justice by now and implying he was using his position to deflect criticism.
Read and watch Rezaei’s interview at Tasnim
Read Mehr-Alizadeh’s Tweet on Twitter
A spokesman for the Presidential Election Headquarters announced that the dates of the Presidential candidates’ debates (June 7, 11 and 15) will have to move as they coincide with World Cup Qualifiers for the Iranian national football team. In order to get the maximum audience, the debates will be held on different nights, to be announced soon, but more likely they will be held the night before or after the football matches. However, later in the day, the Director of the IRIB, the national broadcaster, said that the dates and times are definite and will not change, and the times will not conflict with the football matches.
Read about the Election Headquarters’ Statement at ISNA.
Read about the IRIB statement at IRNA
The Ministry of Health released a new health protocol today in which they banned the practice of fingerprinting voters on election day. In addition to enforcing social distancing at election booths, voters are also encouraged to bring their own pen when voting.