President Rouhani Moving on the Right Track: Larijani

Here’s IFP’s translation of excerpts from the interview, as reported by Fararu:

“I don’t see the possibility [of Rouhani’s failure in being re-elected in 2017 votes] to be that much strong. Mr. Rouhani is generally moving on the right track,” Larijani said.

However, he added, his administration should have an accelerated fight against economic downturn and increased efforts to flourish the country’s production.

“This is the weak point of the incumbent administration,” Larijani said, adding that Rouhani’s cabinet should also have more insistence and efforts on the implementation of the nuclear deal [JCPOA] and act more courageously.

Other than these points, Rouhani’s administration has no problem, he noted.

“I don’t see it likely that Rouhani won’t serve his second term, but the conditions in future can be very decisive,” he went on to say.

He also noted that he has no plan to run for the presidential elections next year.

Similarities and Differences between Rouhani and Ahmadinejad

Larijani was the Parliament Speaker both under the administration of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President Rouhani. Asked about the commonalities between the two, Larijani could not remember any particular common points between the two.

“Maybe they share the goal of settling the country’s problems, but their methods are totally different. The former government was really confused in decision-making. I think they did not follow any particular approach, particularly in the field of economy. Ahmadinejad’s government repeatedly bypassed the law […] and we were faced with a strange phenomenon,” he noted.

“Another point was that the former government provoked political chaos. If the head of a family is a provocateur himself, the family will be destroyed even if there are emotional bonds. There is no emotional bond in a ruling system; if the President works provocatively, the country will be divided into several groups and opinions, and political chaos will occur,” Larijani said about Ahmadinejad’s tenure.

“Under the incumbent administration [of Rouhani], such cases do not happen or at least there are very few of them. Mr. Rouhani is very committed to the law. […] The bills sent by the government to the Parliament are all compliant with the law. There might be very few cases, maybe 1 or 2 cases in a month, that are declared to be against the law, while in the previous government, we used to reject 16 to 17 cases. In terms of establishing peace and calm in the society, Mr. Rouhani and his administration have tried to do their best, and this helps the country focus on its main problems,” Larijani added.

“Therefore, I believe the two governments belong to two different categories, and are totally different from each other. I should think a lot to find a common point between the two!” he said.

Larijani: I Have No Problem with Rouhani

Larijani says he has a good relationship with President Rouhani and has no problem with him, compared with the conflicts he had with Ahmadinejad.

“We don’t have any problem; we raise [and resolve] the issues in a rational way. If we have any conflict of opinion anywhere, rational dialogue is the path we pursue,” he noted.