Reformist candidate Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh said that for the country to move forward, all factions need to put their differences aside and think only of the future. Mehr-Alizadeh added that if elected, “I promise to be the president of all Iranians, regardless of any language, religion and thought”. Invoking his religion (Islam), his country (Iran) and his background (Azerbaijani), Mehr-Alizadeh declared “let’s all come together to build Iran for all Iranians”.
Reformist candidate Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh appeared on Clubhouse to outline his plans for government and answer questions. On his government, he promised to increase subsidies for the lowest income earners, and added that he planned to include three women in his cabinet. Mehr-Alizadeh also said that he hoped that Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif would be involved in his administration. Mehr-Alizadeh fielded questions on ethnic issues in Iran, saying that he was “a son of Azerbaijan” and a “son-in-law of Isfahan”, arguing that all Iranians were worried about their country, regardless of ethnic, language or tribal differences. Mehr-Alizadeh also took aim at Ebrahim Raisi, accusing him of being responsible for the 2014 acid attacks in Isfahan.
Reformist candidate Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh announced that he had chosen the colour black to represent his campaign, as a symbol of his empathy with Iranians who have died of COVID. Black also holds significance in Shi’ism as a colour of mourning for holy figures. The use of colours to represent campaigns has increased in elections in recent decades, with most notable examples being purple representing Hassan Rouhani’s campaign in 2013, and, more controversially, green representing Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s campaign in 2009.
Abdol-Nasser Hemmati said that he aimed to be “the voice of the majority of people protesting against the current situation”, adding that he had an achievable plan to fix the economic situation. Hemmati described himself as a “third voice”, neither Reformist nor Principalist. Hemmati’s comments tread a fine line in Iran, which has experienced two large waves of protest which were violently suppressed over the past four years.
The Reform Front, the main organised body of the Reformist faction, said today that they were endorsing Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh as their candidate in the absence of other preferred candidates. The Reform Front’s announcement comes a day after their spokesperson Azar Mansouri said the organisation would not back any candidate.
Azar Mansour, the spokesperson for the Reform Front, said that due to the disqualification of their candidates, they will not be lending their support to any candidate in this election. Mansour also criticised the decision of the Guardian Council, saying that the high number of disqualifications has deprived the elections of their meaning and ultimately eroded the core foundations of the Islamic Republic.
Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh, the only Reformist candidate approved by the Guardian Council in this election, said in an interview with ISNA that the people of Iran are inherently Reformist, pointing to the Tobacco Rebellion and Constitutional Revolution as historic reminders of the Iranian desire to improve their country through politics. He criticised the idea of Reformist and Principalist as political factions, saying that “these categorisations are not appropriate at all, and the only result of this approach is conflict and internal incoherence”.
First Vice President and candidate Eshaq Jahangiri appealed to the Reformist movement on the Second of Khordad, the anniversary of Mohammad Khatami’s election victory in 1997. Jahangiri wrote on Twitter praising Khatami’s contribution to lessening threats to Iran and improving Iran’s domestic development, and called for a return to a period of internal reform. Although not a Reformist candidate, Jahangiri is appealing to the Reformist vote.
Reformist candidate and son of the late former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohsen Hashemi, told ISNA that he did not believe in two term presidencies, saying that the project of being re-elected causes Presidents to break their promises rather than fulfilling their program in one term. Hashemi also added that the inefficiency of the Iranian government lies in its incoherent power structure, which allows competing streams to undermine each other. Hashemi said the next government needs to use their term to resolve these inconsistencies and create greater coordination between the different arms of government.
Ali-Reza Afshar, the most high-profile regular army (non-IRGC) candidate, said in an interview with IRNA that the conservative Principalist faction should not underestimate the Reformists in this election. Afshar said “the Reformists are masters of duality, they direct the people to issues that have no effect on their livelihood or economic situation”. Afshar disputed the idea that larger turnouts favour the Reformists, adding that the election season should not descend into insults: “while striving for victory, we must be aware of immorality and espionage; we should speak of facts and not try to shape public opinion through deceit.