“Rouhani Looks for Solution to Iran’s Problems Abroad”

Iranian presidential candidate Raisi has, in an address to a huge gathering of his fans in Tehran on Tuesday, weighed in on a range of issues. The highlights of his comments are as follows:

– I said it is necessary to create more than a million jobs in the country today. Mr. Rouhani, my question to you is, “Isn’t this stipulated in the 6th [National Development] plan?”

– You neither contributed to policy-making, nor handed over the plan to the Parliament. You didn’t notify [others of the plan] either. Looks like you are not going to go ahead with the plan!

– I said your wrong policies have widened the gap between different social strata.

– You increased the prices of energy commodities, but didn’t add anything to people [‘s income].

– I approve of increasing cash subsidies for low-income families, but you said there are not enough resources for such a move. There are enough resources. And why did you suddenly decided to increase pensions a few weeks before the election?

In the run-up to the election, you gave assistant village chiefs 10 million tomans [$2,600] each. Where did you bring that money from?

– Under the law for the [implementation of the 6th National Development] Plan, one million jobs must be created every year. Mr. Rouhani, you neither handed over the plan to the Parliament, nor announced it, nor want to implement it.

– Anyone from whatever social class and whatever political taste knows that 17 thousand workshops have been closed down today. Half of the capacity of factories and workshops in the country is not operational.

– In order to solve problems, get the sanctions removed and boost businesses, they (the Rouhani administration) tried to find the solution abroad.

– The key to locks is in the hands of the Iranian nation.

– Civil rights mean people’s livelihoods shouldn’t shrink ever day, mean teachers shouldn’t see their funds plundered.

– The country was in your hands for four years. What did you do for it? You want to create a bipolar atmosphere to secure more votes. Today, people have to choose between “inefficiency” and “work”.

– We favour diplomacy, but one based on power and dignity.

– We should provide a fair administrative system and fair payment system in the country.

– You are saying you support artists. Supporting artists means a fair atmosphere should be created for all artists, not that we see an artist die in hospital, with no one asking about the artist’s health.

– We have enough laws and documents about civil rights. Civil rights mean women and girls should have respected jobs. Civil rights mean people’s livelihoods shouldn’t shrink every day, mean university graduates should not be unemployed, mean teachers, who want their rights, shouldn’t see their funds looted.