Ali-Reza Zakani reacted angrily to a question on television program today about whether he is a cover candidate for Ebrahim Raisi. Zakani said that the question was insulting to both him and Raisi, emphasising he had presented a sophisticated platform for the presidency and that perhaps he had “more plans [for government] than the other six [candidates]”.
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.
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.
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
Ebrahim Raisi visited the Abbasabad Industrial Park to meet with workers and owners. Raisi said his government would be a coalition government that will include both workers and owners, bridging the industrial divide in order to fulfill his slogan, a “Strong Iran”. Speaking in military terminology, Raisi described workers and owners as soldiers and officers fighting the economic battles for Iran.
Speculation rose today that number of disqualified candidates may be parachuted into the role of Mayor of Tehran, with Saeed Mohammad at the top of the list. The rumoured names also included Hossein Dehghan and Rostam Ghasemi both of whom, like Saeed Mohammad, have given their support to Ebrahim Raisi since standing down or being disqualified. Local council elections will take place throughout Iran on the same day as the Presidential election.
Ebrahim Raisi used his allocated airtime on national television to put forward his economic plan. Raisi promised that if elected he will reduce inflation by increasing production and planning under a coordinated, centralised economic team, adding that through his plan “it will be possible to reduce inflation to single digits”.
Frontrunner candidate Ebrahim Raisi said that his campaign would focus on improving the economic situation of Iranians. Citing his slogan – “a people’s government for a strong Iran” – Raisi said “a strong Iran cannot be achieved without a strong economy”, adding his focus would be developing a more transparent financial market in Iran and eliminating corruption. Later, Raisi took to Twitter to launch another slogan – “I have tasted poverty, not merely heard about it” - appealing to poorer voters by pointing to his humble origins.
The official list of candidates approved by the Guardian Council was announced this afternoon at the Election Headquarters by the Ministry of Interior. The list, which was one of Iran’s worst kept secrets, includes seven names: Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Abdol-Naser Hemmati, Saeed Jalili, Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh, Ebrahim Raisi, Mohsen Rezaei and Ali-Reza Zakani. Notable disqualifications include Ali Larijani and Eshaq Jahangiri, most of whom accepted disqualification, with the expected exception of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The only Reformist among their number is Mehr-Alizadeh.
Abdullah Ganji, the editor of the Principalist Javan newspaper, wrote that Ebrahim Raisi is speaking to both the Guardian Council and to other “elders” of the government in the endeavour to get them to reconsider the disqualification of several candidates, including Ali Larijani. Later in the day, Raisi told reporters that he was hoping for a reconsideration of the list, so that it is more “competitive and participatory”.