Eight Programs to Compete in Iran Elections

As the Guardian Council reviewed the qualifications of the candidates and announced the list of the approved ones, the different electoral programs started to be announced by the eight candidates running for June Iranian election.
 

Saeed Jalili
The Secretary of the National Security Council and Iran’s top nuclear negotiator is running for president for the first time.

For his electoral program, he mainly tackles the management and the executive affairs. Jalili considers that the administrative and the executive structure of the Iranian economy must be matched with the potentials of the country to be able to face the foreign threats. In other words, he thinks that the economic plans must be set according to the political interests and principles.
Jalili considers that there must be a general consistent economic plan that doesn’t change every day.

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf
The outgoing mayor of Tehran is said to be pragmatic conservative. He served as the head of the air force and the police.

Qalibaf considers that coping with the administrative and the economic problems is a priority for the Iranians. He specifically promised to provide the youth with more jobs. Also, he pledged to fix the economic crisis in Iran within 2 years if elected. Finally, Qalibaf considers that the youth must be given a greater role in politics and economics.

 Ali Akbar Velayati
The Supreme Leader’s conservative advisor on international affairs has a rich and long experience in politics and public posts, he served as a Foreign minister for 16 years. As a medical doctor, he also served as a deputy health minister.

Velayati said that he would improve Iran’s relations with other countries. He added that he will utilize his sixteen-year experience as a foreign minster to achieve this aim.
To gain the people’s trust, Velyati promised to keep the achievements of his government under the control and interrogation of the Iranians and the parliament.

Hassan Rowhani
The key figure in the Iranian politics served as Deputy Speaker and as the representative of Ayatollah Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei at the Supreme National Security Council. As a pragmatic conservative, he has been a chief negotiator in nuclear talks with the EU. He also heads the Expediency Council’s Strategic Research Centre.

According to him, to solve Iran current problems, the Iranians should reach reconciliation with the scientists, scholars,  and experts to utilize their skills and knowledge to build the country. He also considers that there must be reconciliation with all the Iranian factions and political parties to maintain unity and stability in Iran. Finally, Rowhani considers that reconciliation with the world is important to have better relations with all the countries.

Gholamali Haddad-Adel
The Iranian philosopher and politician is a conservative candidate who earned his PhD in Philosophy in 1975. He has been a parliamentarian since 2000 and served as a speaker for 4 years (2004-2008).
Haddad-Adel considers that the coming administration must stop monopoly over sectors. He says that the main mission of the coming government is “correct policy-making, directing, supervising, supporting, planning and building infrastructure.”

Mohammad Reza Aref
He is a reformist politician and a member of the Expediency Council, a top advisory body for the Supreme Leader. He studied electrical engineering and currently teaches at Tehran University of technology.
Aref said that he would withdraw if former reformist President Mohammad Khatami joined the 2013 election as a candidate.

His program can be outlined as trying to pass laws that help the government to provide the Iranians with all their needs according to fair distribution of wealth. Aref, also, says that decreasing the rate of unemployment in Iran resolving the problem of inflation would be his major goals if he were elected.

Mohsen Rezai
He currently holds the post of secretary of the influential expediency council.
As his electoral program, he stresses that his focus will be on "programs that assist in reducing expenses and raising household income."
The economic development alongside the political development is the main target of his presidential program in case he is elected.

He is running for the election for the first time.
He served as oil minister, telecommunications minister and as governor of Iran’s southern province of Khuzestan and western province of Kordestan.

Being a moderate candidate, he started his campaign under the slogan of “government of no inflation”.

 

He served as oil minister, telecommunications minister and as governor of Iran’s southern province of Khuzestan and western province of Kordestan.

Being a moderate candidate, he vows to curb inflation, create jobs if elected as president. He is running for elections for the first time.