They have also invited the great nation of Iran to participate in the presidential elections.

The text of the letter is as follows:

“In the Name of God

To the Leader of the holy establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran,

As you are aware, the great nation of Iran is once again on the threshold of a fateful test in the eyes of its friends and enemies.

Elections are a manifestation of power and a clear sign of Islamism and the republic of the system, and the intelligent people of Islamic Iran will add another golden page to their list of honors on 18 June. God willing, and with maximum presence in the upcoming election scene, the people will renew allegiance with Imam Khomeini and martyrs.

Undoubtedly, attention to the precious testaments of the late founder of the Islamic system and the enlightening wills of you as a shining torch to lead the society, can pave the way for maximum presence and defeat of the enemy and the right choice for this noble nation and a brighter future for the appreciative people of Islamic Iran.

Explaining the conspiracies of the enemies, the wise and prudent Leader has repeatedly emphasized the maximum presence of the people at the ballot box and expressed valuable indicators and criteria for the presidential candidates and invited them to convince the people and be honest in expressing their capabilities and election slogans. You have tried to inform the people about their legal rights and religious and national duty, and it is hoped that by relying on God’s grace and benefiting from these thoughtful and effective and memorable instructions from you and the presence of the grateful people, you will cause the despair for the sworn enemies. Islam and the holy system of the Islamic Republic of Iran can inspire happiness in the hearts of the lovers of the Islamic Revolution around the world.

In this regard, we, a group of Friday prayer leaders and Sunni scholars of the country as flag bearers of honor and pride and preachers of unity and integrity in Islamic Iran, while renewing allegiance with the lofty ideals of the late Imam and martyrs and responding to the orders of the wise Leader, inform you that the people of Iran, regardless of their ethnicity or religion, with a correct understanding of the sensitive situation in the world, especially the ongoing seditions of global imperialism and international Zionism in the region, believe voting is the inalienable right and duty of every Iranian to participate in determining the destiny and protection of their homeland and national values. They will never let the malevolent ones to disappoint the people by sowing differences and divisions, and the enemies cannot plunder the valuable treasures of the nation, which is the result of the blood of thousands of martyrs.

May the problems of the appreciative and loyal people be solved by electing a valuable popular and serving government, and with the increasing authority of our Islamic country, the ground for the formation of a new Islamic civilization be provided, God willing.”

The post Sunni clerics write to Leader urge people to participate appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The candidates arrived at IRIB building at 3:30pm to prepare for the third debate. The candidates arrived in turn, based on the drawing of lots done last time. Alireza Zakani arrived first and responded to the reporters’ questions. He said people have dignity and no one should misuse the people’s dignity.

He called himself “the voice of the looted.”

Mohsen Rezaei arrived next. He said that the share of the women in the economy must be increased, stating that he has a modern plan.

He called his government “operational and strategic with plans based on scientific research.”

Reformist candidate Mohsen Mehr Alizadeh was the third candidate to arrive at the IRIB building. He said that government’s transparency will reduce challenges.

Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi arrived 4th at the IRIB building. When asked about his plans if he is elected president, he said that in his administration he will only appoint persons at managerial posts who are popular, effortful and have an anti-corruption spirit.

Abdolnasser Hemmati was the next candidate who arrived next. He said that the relationship between the people and the government must be fixed.

The youngest presidential contender, Amir Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi, was the next to arrive. He discussed important issues, such as the JCPOA, saying that his government will remain committed to all international deals.

He said that his administration, whom he has called “Government of Greetings”, will make people benefit from such deals, and Americans will soon realize they will conclude negotiations with action and not just empty promises.

Saeed Jalili was the last candidate who entered the building. He said that people’s concerns must be known to the president, adding that he has truly and tangibly felt people’s concerns by traveling to various cities around the country.

As usual, drawing of lots determined where candidates can sit during the debate. Saeed Jalili was allocated seat number one, with the rest seated according to the following

list: Zakani, Hemmati, Raeisi, Mehr Alizadeh, Qazizadeh Hashemi, and Rezaei.

Qazizadeh Hashemi

The debate began with a question from Qazizadeh Hashemi. He said that mismanagement and lack of trust are reasons behind the major problems in Iran.

He suggested that the solution to Iran’s problems lie in “change in the country’s officials.”  He also criticized the incumbent administration’s negotiation approach, saying, “The Leader of the Islamic Revolution gave an extraordinary opportunity to negotiate with the United States, but government ruined it.”

The sitting MP who is seeking presidential post stated that a change in generation of policymakers is the only way to counter Iran’s challenges.

“Exactly like the very first days of the Revolution, honest youth must come to power,” he exemplified.

On inflation and high-price rises, which is the primary concern of people, Qazizadeh said inflationary pressures wreak havoc on Iranian households and businesses.

“High inflation rate creates many problems for Iranian families, (different) sectors.” He also said if he wins the presidency he will form “ministry of family” to tackle issues of households.

On his foreign policy, he said he will appoint a foreign minister “with a background in international trade.”

Qazizadeh also said, “A comprehensive system of transparency will be established with the establishment of an electronic government.”

He elaborated by saying that if e-government and transparency are needed, Iran also needs cyberspace and should not limit it. He added, “My government will protect the rights of all people.”

He concluded by saying that if there was an atmosphere of zeal, “our daughters would not have remained without a dowry and people wouldn’t have been pocketed at the stock market.”

Mohsen Rezaei

Rezaei said Iran has regained its lost authority in security after 300 years. He also said he has divided economy in 3 sections, including “economy of life,” “economy of provinces,” and “economy of family”.

“In areas of defense and security we have done extraordinary things while we are wrestling with economic problems,” said Rezaei, the former chief of the IRGC.

Rezaei also criticized monopoly in import of chador, corn, meat, etc.   (Chador is a large piece of cloth that is wrapped around the head and upper body, worn especially by Muslim women).

He also said officials are caught in a false “factional dispute” and neglecting focus on high price rises.

The former top military officer said “we can again start a move like the Revolution” and create an epic like the time that people resisted the invading Saddam army during the sacred defense.

He said economy needs “two surgeries”: A reform within the system and reengineering the economy.

Rezaei repeated his promise that if corruption is uprooted, his government can provide enough money to pay cash subsidy (to 40 million Iranians). He said the amount of cash subsidy is 450,000 tomans.

He also said a great reform is needed in political atmosphere.

Rezaei stated that his government will establish order in society, emphasizing importance of “collective wisdom”.

He described the youth as “saviors of Iran,” stating that his administration will be a mixture of the Revolutionary youth and experienced experts. He added he will build schools for “future leaders”.

He also said that he will link producers to the realtors and he will connect the youth to the banks to get long-term loans with low-interest rates.

He stated that he will not employ “imploring diplomacy,” and will not wait for negotiations.

Rezaei reiterated that the managers must have a plan and ask for consultation.

“Managers must be aware of challenges in the next 8 years,” he said, putting an emphasis on the next 8 years as the most important years of the Islamic Republic. He noted that planning and implementation of plans are two separate issues. He once again said that his administration is perfect at both planning and execution.

Rezaei concluded by saying that he has drafted a plan to take “Iran forward,” repeating that he will keep his promises.

He said that he will promote small businesses, follow a wisely drafted housing plan with long-term loans with low-interest rates, and will give 30% of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) stocks to the people.

Ebrahim Raeisi

Raeisi stated that he has divided his comprehensive economic plans into three sections: Government reform and tackling corruption and discrimination; family support; and empowering businesses and taking a leap in production.

He also called transparency an important issue and emphasized a regulation of the tax system. He stated that the second most important issue is high inflation that must be controlled.

Raeisi said that he will cut dependence of people’s lives to foreign currency (prices), adding that he will give credit cards to lower 3 deciles.

He also promised to create 4 million jobs in four years.

Raeisi also said if the FATF is beneficiary to Iran, it must be ratified, and if it is not, it must not. On international deals, he said that Iran “is and will be committed to the JCPOA.”

On his post-COVID-19 economic plan, he said that small businesses have been badly affected during the coronavirus pandemic that there is a need to reactivate them.

Raeisi also said he is and has always been honest with people.

He promised to broaden cyberspace, repeating that internet must be free for lower deciles.

When accused by his rival Hemmati of trying to censor internet, Raeisi said that he never ordered to limit any website or close a newspaper in his term as the Judiciary chief.

Raeisi concluded by saying that his government will lean towards justice, and will utilize all capacities and will execute all development plans drafted in previous parliaments and administrations. He said that the president must have a holistic look at all people.

Alireza Zakani

Zakani began his remarks by saying that high inflation rate is the most important issue at the moment, promising that he will reform budget structure, control inflation and decrease it to a single-digit rate.

He also said that he’ll uproot corruption in government, parliament and Judiciary, and promised to regulate wealth distribution system.

He also revealed a letter written by his rival Hemmati to President Rouhani, proposing increasing petrol prices to 5,000 tomans.

“52% inflation is a disaster that is the result of the performance of the Rouhani administration. Mr. Hemmati should also answer about high liquidity,” he added.

“I will reduce inflation by half in the first year,” he promised.

Zakani said that he will bring transparency to the government through creating e-government by broadening internet infrastructure.

He also said that lower deciles will receive three different rates of cash subsidies.

He described honesty as an important characteristic of presidency, saying that he is here to stop economic corruption.

He added, “The wealthy are enjoying energy subsidy 15 times more than the low-income people.”

Zakani said that his government will pay attention to domestic production to neutralize sanctions, with a particular attention to farming. “I will decentralize the management system and give priority to rural areas.”

He went on to criticize Iran’s small share of export and import within the Eurasia zone, adding that the FATF mustn’t be signed and trades can be done with all foreign currencies, not just U.S. dollar.

“I will give priority to meritocracy,” Zakani said.

Praising the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Zakani said without the Islamic Revolution none of the candidates would have been here. He said he will uproot corruption and confront “lying”.

“It’s time to rise against looters,” he suggested.

He promised to tackle abject poverty in one year, saying that he’ll provide facilities for idled production capacities, promising to follow the constitution.

“We will administer the rule of law,” he promised.

He also said that he will provide insurance for fertile couples.

Saeed Jalili 

Jalili began the debate by saying that the causes of problems are not a “mystery.”

“The main concern of people is that why problems are not being resolved. People’s concerns and problems is not like the Coronavirus which its origin is unknown.”

He emphasized that Iran has a great potential, saying that his government plans to draw a roadmap for all ministries to counter challenges.

He added that the president must use time as an advantage, saying that his administration will not waste time by performing “shows.”

The former top security official added, “People are concerned about price fluctuations.”

He said that economic stability is needed to govern Iran, saying that the sanctions have affected Iran, but not as greatly as it is portrayed by the incumbent president. He added that the leverage of sanctions must be taken from U.S., referring to the recent remarks by U.S. officials seeking further negotiations by threatening to use the leverage of sanctions against Iran.

He stated that a “leap” in production will lead to a leap in economic growth.

Jalili said that sanctions must be neutralized, while criticizing the incumbent government’s negotiating strategy. He said that foreign relations must be made with all countries, emphasizing that the president must understand foreign relations.

“Now some (officials) apologize (about price hikes) but some even don’t seek apology from people.”

Jalili was referring to Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri who has apologized people for high inflation rate.

Jalili said that he warned the president that the government must do its job faster, responding to Hemmati’s criticism about a costly circumvention of sanctions during Jalili’s term as chief nuclear negotiator. He stated that economic relations can be made with all countries, saying that conventions such as FATF are useless for Iran, calling the JCPOA the “document of Iran as a claimant”.

Jalili said that opportunities must be “greatly” used, and researches about production obstacles must have been made by now. He reiterated that now is not the time for researches.

He said that he will define missions for all organizations and ministries to focus on various tasks, with particular reference to earning foreign currency.
In response to Hemmati’s criticism, he said that in his point of view Iran is considered a member of the FATF, implementing 39 paragraphs out of 41. (Iran is not considered a member of the FATF by the institution)

Jalili also responded to criticism by Hemmati about sanctions. He cited an example saying that Iran’s volume of trade with Iraq is about 12 billion dollars and only the government has not been able to get its money from Iraq but the private sector has been doing its job without hurdles.

Jalili concluded by saying that the next 4 years should be “the years of leap”, and pure Islam should be implemented in the society.

He reiterated that he is not looking for power.

Abdolnasser Hemmati 

Hemmati began by saying that the United States’ sanctions against Iran have wreaked havoc on the country. “Sanctions have disrupted the economy over the last decade.”

“Iran must engage in trade with rest of the world, cannot survive individually,” he said.

Hemmati attributed the dearth of foreign investment in Iran to sanctions.

Hemmati reiterated that without five percent economic growth “no problem will be solved and without investment economic growth is impossible.”

He went on to criticize government officials, including president Rouhani and minister of economy for encouraging people to invest in the stock market, saying he had warned about bubble in the stock market. He also criticized political interference in the stock market and repeated change of the stock market directors.

He criticized Saeed Jalili for saying that trade could be done with all countries in the world, saying, “Our best friends are Iraq and China, but they do not give us our money. You said “interaction is good, but with whom?! You should know the world will not work with Iran without discussing the JCPOA.”

He said that he will execute the general vaccination program by the end of the year.

Hemmati went on to address farmers, saying that he will guarantee buying their products like wheat at market price. He added, “I will uproot inflation.”

Hemmati concluded his remarks by defending himself. He also urged people to attend the polling stations if they want a prosperous economy.

Mehr Alizadeh 

Mehr Alizadeh began his statements by saying that “lack of trust in authorities” is one of the major concerns in the society.

“Iran is suffering from problems ranging from lack of transparency, brain drain, corruption,” he added.

He said that the crisis of livelihood, environment, social welfare, trust and social deprivation is the “crisis of today.”

He also criticized government interference in stock market.  “The stock exchange plays an important role in the economy of the country; it should be left in the hands of investors.”

He concluded by saying that Iranians have two options: ignoring the ballot box or having hope for the future. “Let’s go to the polls,” he said.

The post Iranian presidential candidates face off in final showdown appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“If the administration wants to succeed in other areas, it should treat art as a necessity and approach it not passively, but proactively,” said Jalili, a member of Iran’s Expediency Council. “Why shouldn’t our cinema compete with that of Hollywood? Our music should be shared with the rest of the world.”

Later that day, during a news broadcast on IRIB Channel 2, Jalili discussed his strategy for the young generation, particularly in areas of job creation.

“One of the goals that we will pursue in the future administration is to create four million jobs for the youth over the next four years, and we have an agenda for that,” he stated.

According to the Iranian Constitution, everyone has a right to a proper, satisfying job, according to Jalili. He added, “We have analyzed this issue and devised a range of programs for it.”

Jalili stated that the country has significant potential in mining, industry, fishing, and tourism, among other areas, which should be capitalized on.

Furthermore, many of the administration’s research projects may be assigned to adolescents concentrating in human sciences to assist them in entering the labor market, he argued.

The presidential election will be held on June 18. The Guardian Council announced on Friday that the ballot boxes will open at 7 am and close at 00:00 (GMT+4:30)

The post Iran should promote its films and music on global scale appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“The frustration of the people due to some actions and the invitation of many different strata made me enter the election arena,” he said.

Raeisi said that the 40-year management has given him the knowledge to solve problems, and he wants to solve the problems by acting eagerly alongside the people.

“I told some presidents who were at the end of their term to see the constitution, to see the powers of the president, the powers given to the president by the constitution. I suggested to some gentlemen to read the constitution once and then step into the field of elections,” the presidential contender stated.

Raeisi also said that the world economy cannot be put on hold.

“We will interact with the world. Iran’s influence in the region, along with active diplomacy in the economic field will be one of our plans. The principle of interaction with other countries is certain, but it is not logical to tie the country’s progress to it and condition the economy,” he pointed out.

Raeisi went on to say that today sanctions under the “maximum pressure” strategy by the U.S. have not bended Iran.

“What we see in the country today has nothing to do with sanctions, it is related to internal mismanagement. Sanctions have created problems, but they are more about mismanagement,” he remarked.

In response to the question whether he has unemployed people in his family, he said, “Yes, we also have unemployed people; it is impossible not to have an unemployed member in the family.”

The top judge, that in the opinion polls far ahead of his competitors for the presidential post, said unemployment, housing and health issues are the major problems Iranians are facing right now.

The post Raeisi: President has no ‘shortage of authority’ appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“At present, Iran’s economic condition and living conditions are not in a situation to sacrifice the people. We must change the situation,” he said.

Hemmati said the main reason for his presidential candidacy, considering his expertise and past work, is that he thinks he can bring the country to the right track.

“We have had a structural flaw in economic governance over the past few decades that has led to unfavorable trends in macroeconomic variables. One of these trends is investment. Until investment in the country is not developed, other macro variables, including production and economic growth, will be in trouble,” he opined.

Hemmati, who holds a PhD in economics from the University of Tehran, pointed out that another issue is productivity.

“The other issue is productivity. In the long-term plan envisaged for the country, a significant part of eight percent economic growth was supposed to be from productivity, but unfortunately, not only did it not grow, but it was negative, and this caused economic growth to be hampered,” he stated.

The presidential candidate said that the economic growth is an important issue and should be looked at from different angles.

“The most important issue of production is that the government should not pressure the private sector,” he said.

Hemmati said it is the duty of the government to invest in infrastructure and let the private sector to do the investment and encourage it.

He said, “It is necessary for the private sector to have confidence in the economic and social conditions of the country. We should not have uncertainty in the economy.”

Hemmati stated that he believes that Iran must focus on economic growth and control inflation at the same time. Because if there is inflation, he said, there will be no growth because inflation intensifies an abuse of the market.

“The most important issue to control inflation is liquidity and part of the liquidity goes back to the relationship between the government and the central bank,” he explained.

Hemmati believes that banks have to connect people, who have financial problems and cannot purchase goods, to producers who cannot sell their goods.

“The only way is to give credit cards and these cards are only for purchasing and you cannot cash them. The infrastructure is provided and now one bank is doing it on a trial basis,” the presidential candidate said.

The presidential elections will be held on June 18.

The post Hemmati asks politicians to go “on leave” appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“These negotiations will continue based on their independent and legal procedure and within the framework of the general policies of the Islamic Republic and with the guidance of the Leader until the desired result is achieved,” he said.

Rabiei stated that the nuclear negotiations are not related to the presidential elections, reiterating that the government is determined to fulfill its mission and hand over the country to the future administration without illegal sanctions.

The presidential elections will be held on June 18.

The spokesman also said there is no impasse in the Vienna talks.

“Negotiations have reached a stage where a few key issues need to be decided, and these issues require the attention, obsession and time they need. We do not allow the talks to protract, nor do we rush to reach an agreement. Our criterion is the rights of the nation and the interests of the people and the Islamic Republic,” he added.

Rabiei noted that the Iranian nuclear team has been following the directions given by Tehran step by step.

The fifth round of the Vienna negotiations is underway in Vienna, with delegates ironing out details of the agreement.

The post Government: Vienna talks not related to elections appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Saeed Jalili criticized the education system in Iran, tweeting that over 20,000 high school students studying empirical science have an average of 19 and above (out of 20), yet only a few of them can enter the universities to study medicine, whereas the country needs more medical doctors than ever. “We have more facilities than before in the country. Why shouldn’t these opportunities be used?” he asked.

He also proposed a plan to give every Iranian a fair share of energy subsidy. “Every Iranian must have an equal share of energy, and if he does not want to use it, he must receive the price of it,” he stated.

Mohsen Rezaei discussed various issues, such as establishing a “Southwestern Asian Union,” and creating an environment for economic development.

He said that he will consider housework as a job for household women with two children, paying them monthly salaries.
“Child rearing and family health are important. In this regard, we consider women who have two or more children and spend their time raising children and family health as employed. After 6 months of training, we pay these women salaries,” he explained.

He also claims that he will grant a cash subsidy of 450,000 tomans (almost $107 at the official rate of 42,000 rials) to 40 million Iranians per month. He says he has worked on this plan for four years. The presidential contender has also stated that he is planning to give each province economic provisions to govern its affairs.

“If I am talking today about the subsidy of 450,000 tomans, this estimate is quite accurate. It has scientific basis and is applicable. We operate in a way that is non-inflationary and does not incur costs for the government because $130 billion in subsidies are given annually, many of which are being spent by the rich from subsidies to gasoline and electricity to other things,” Rezaei stated.

He said that his administration’s diplomacy will move towards regional diplomacy “because we consider Iran to be regionally important.”

Rezaei stated that until the Islamic Republic does not stabilize its position in the region, it will not be able to make leaps internationally.

“A successful presence in the region will pave the way for a successful international presence,” the former chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps added.

He called the establishment of the “Southwest Asian Union” in line with Iran’s regional diplomacy and said, “This union consists of 25 countries and will be similar to the European Union. These 25 countries have more than 1,200 billion dollars in foreign exchange, with which we have a very small share.”

Qazizadeh Hashemi said on Sunday that pseudo currency should be used in economy, but not in cash. He said that gold, foreign exchange and cryptocurrency are pseudo currencies Iran is using right now, but it should not be cashed.

He also said no Iranian will remain homeless under his administration.

The presidential candidate also criticized injection of huge liquidity into the economy, saying it has raised the inflation rate to up to 50%.

He stated that as a physician he cares about the public health.

“Healthy food should reach people. For this reason, we have designed a monthly package of 300,000 tomans (almost $72) for each Iranian.”

By this amount of money citizens can buy food rich in calories and vitamins and also healthy and diversified, he explained.

In this context, his team has planned from seed to table how to manage exports, prices and toxins in food products and processing of agricultural materials.

He also says that Iran should not even be selling one drop of crude oil.

“Smart governments are future governments” that make predictions and “then plan for them,” he opined. “We will have a smart and young government and a ‘government of greetings’ for the future of new Iran, which aims to build Iran,” he stated.

Mohsen Mehr Alizadeh said that Iran should think about export as it thinks about production.

“We should provide export incentives, especially for the preservation of export markets in neighboring countries, and in no way should we allow a ministry or agency to issue an order every day,” he pointed out.

“Currently, about 70% of the country’s production capacity consists of small production units, and most of them have been shut down due to these cumbersome bureaucratic  issues and circulars,” he added.

He said that he will increase by five times the subsidy for five low-income deciles from the second month of his presidency.

Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi said on Sunday that internet must be free for low-income deciles.

“Banking facilities must be properly distributed for production, marriage and housing,” the cleric presidential candidate said.

He said that today the internet has become the right of the people, and educational, economic, and research issues are being carried out in cyberspace in all parts of the country.

“Why not letting people work in cyberspace? A housewife who cooks or a teacher who produces content should get her share of what she does,” he suggested.

He said that the popular government has clear plans to make money from the internet.

Abdolnasser Hemmati, the presidential candidate trained in economy, said on Monday morning that by lifting the sanctions, his government will see at least a 5% economic growth and it will be able to lower inflation rate to 8 to 12%.

“Economic prosperity and exports are highly important and have a great impact on the country’s economic prosperity. We can increase non-oil exports by up to 50%,” he said.

According to Hemmati, in addition to the issue of employment, which is highly important, the social life of the youth also has a high priority.

Hemmati said, “Before we fight corruption, we must confront its origin, and we must not allow corruption to occur in the country, and we must eliminate the grounds for corruption.”

The presidential candidate said that all over the world, subsidies are paid through taxes, and Iran cannot solve the problem if it does not tax properly.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hemmati said, “My effort is for the presence of people who are angry with the ballot boxes and do not intend to participate in the elections.” He added, “In order to change the course” he has entered the election race.”

He said that government interference in economic affairs, such as the price of tires, chicken feed, etc., must be eliminated, and the government must focus on infrastructure.

The post Candidates express concerns and present plans appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“Candidates for the 13th presidential election are by no means allowed to address issues such as professional conscription in order to gain votes,” Shekarchi said, according to state news agency IRNA.

The spokesman said the issue of conscription requires “expert work” in the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces.

Iran is among the countries that still use compulsory conscription to beef up their armed forces. In Iran, all young men above the age of 18 are required to perform compulsory military service for nearly two years. Those who avoid conscription face a variety of fines and restrictions such as deprivation of government jobs and a ban on traveling abroad.

Shekarchi said it is up to the military to decide on conscription. “The Joint Staff of the Armed Forces will deal with anything that has an effect on the country’s defense authority and can use the great potential of the country’s youth and take into account the interests of the youth,” he said, adding, “Of course, the result of the expert work will be such that in addition to paying attention to the youth, there will be no harm to the security and national interests and the deterrent power of the country; with this explanation that all the considerations that exist about the dear youth of the country are also taken into account.”

He underlined that the presidential candidates should avoid using the issue of conscription as a way to gain votes. “They know that they should not use some keywords that are only used for elections,” Shekarchi said.

Iran’s 13th presidential election will be held on June 18 with seven candidates from different political backgrounds on the ballot. The candidates got the go-ahead from the Guardian Council to start their campaigning after the vetting process resulted in seven candidates being qualified to run for president.

The post Candidates mustn’t address ‘professional’ conscription: military spokesman appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The campaign office spokesman, Khezr Khalili, said despite the criticisms by some reformists about the vetting process of the candidates by the Guardian Council, they have decided to participate in the elections and maintain the framework of a reformist attitude as they do not see a boycott of the elections in line with the national interests.

“Based on modern, national and reassuring views, which are clearly mentioned in Ayatollah Raeisi’s election statement, this group of reformist activists decided to expand into a broader campaign with the aim of converging and focusing on the country’s transition program from existing problems and crises and form a political current to encourage the people to participate in great numbers in the elections and support Ayatollah Raeisi,” he explained.

Khezr Khalili said that Ayatollah Raeisi has clearly stated that he is an independent candidate and presented modern and reformist programs to combat corruption, promote transparency, reduce tensions, make immediate efforts to lift sanctions, guarantee freedom of media and opinion, eliminate discrimination that realization of them will significantly improve the political and economic situation.

The implementation of such a policy will reduce the pressure and hardship “on the dear people of our country,” he pointed out.

The candidates started campaigns on May 25, right after the Guardian Council announced the names of the confirmed presidential hopefuls.

The candidates should end their campaigns by June 17, 23:59pm.

The post A group of reformists set up campaign office to support Raeisi appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In an interview with Press TV on Tuesday, Abbasali Kadkhodaei said, “When it comes to verification and vetting, the impact of the Constitutional Council’s votes on the people’s participation is very little.”

That, he said, is what opinion polls conducted by state institutions show. “It’s usually most likely about economic issues, and maybe some political and social issues.”

He said the council carries out its responsibilities based on the Constitution, as the fundamental law of the country, and is duty-bound to do the vetting process. “If a person is vetted and not approved, we are not to blame. We have to act on the basis of law.”

Earlier in the day, the Constitutional Council — which supervises elections and vets candidates — released a final list of seven hopefuls it found qualified to join the presidential race slotted for June 18. A number of prominent figures — including Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri and former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani — were barred from contesting the presidential election.

Over 590 individuals had put their names down to vie for the presidency in the key vote, but the council only examined the qualifications of the 40 hopefuls who had submitted all the documents required by the panel.

Kadkhodaei said the hopefuls who had failed to secure the council’s approval could not object to the decision under law. Only the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has the power under the Constitution to intervene and alter the decision, he said, adding that until then in the process this year, the council had not been informed of any such move on the part of Ayatollah Khamenei.

Earlier, Kadkhodaei responded to criticism of the council’s decision to bar the reformist camp’s senior figures from running in the election next month, saying the body bases its decisions on election law, and not on political affiliations.

He assured that the council had meticulously examined the qualifications.

The post Kadkhodaei predicts high voter turnout appeared first on Iran News Daily.