Iranian Presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani has, in a stump speech in the city of Kermanshah, weighed in on a whole range of issues. The following is a summary of his remarks:
– Some are worried about the freedom of the youth. Why don’t you express yourselves to the younger generation? Why don’t you tell them the same things you said in closed-door meetings? You said the youth are not an opportunity, but a threat. [You said that] you want Iran to remain isolated and want Iran’s younger generation to be cut off from the rest of the world. Rouhani stood up to you during these four years, and with your (the people’s) help, I’m ready to stand up to them for another four years.
– We don’t just talk the talk, but we walk the walk. People should know that the country’s defensive capabilities have increased during the tenure of the eleventh administration. We are not against weapons, but you should know that we are against those who want to strike terror into the hearts of the people of Iran and the region. Iran’s power will be used to counter aggression. We will stand against any aggressor and won’t allow your inappropriate behavior to continue.
– The days of violence are numbered. You want to deprive people of freedom, and hence, people stand up to you. We are witnessing the days of progress now. We should do something about the lives of the deprived through action, not words.
– Let me ask you. The day when they used exchange shops to transfer our money, and when our banks were banned from conducting foreign transactions, was the situation better then? Or is it better now that the doors to international interaction have opened? You want to put the Iranian nation under pressure and in isolation. The Iranian nation won’t allow you to turn Iran back to the path that the country was treading eight years ago.
– You ask about inflated salaries. We dealt with those who had not used the public funds fairly. We won’t allowa minority to try to isolate the majority. What percent of the population do you make up? Do you think that you are the custodians of the nation? We will respond to this group of minority on May 19. Rouhani won’t allow aminority to keep talking their loudspeakers in the next four years. We will enforce the Constitution.
– We won’t allow you to divide people because we are together one hundred percent. The eleventh administration was a 100-precent one, and the twelfth administration will be the same.
– You want to send women home. The Iranian nation and the constitution won’t allow you to do this. Today, we’re announcing that we once again want freedom on May 19. We’re sick and tired of their lies and deception, which we’ve seen for years. We have the twelfth presidential election ahead of us. Each person should take eleven people along to the polling stations to make twelve of us voting together.
– We will build Iran through tourism, foreign investment and working towards realizing a resilient economy. Iranian people want restrictions removed. On what basis do you ban the photos of high-profile Iranian figures? Based on which law? Tell us which law! You claimed the Supreme National Security Council had done that [banning former president Khatami’s image]. But I straightforwardly said that it was a lie, a lie. We will make our voices heard through the ballot boxes. On election day, people will cast their ballots for happiness and hope. Don’t let the extremists return. The Iranian nation won’t allow the extremists to make a comeback. Once again Iran, once again Islam and once again hope and moderation.
– In my administration, some Rls.116 [$3.1bn] trillion in funds were allocated to irrigation projects, and, God willing, the water [supplied through those projects] will be enough to irrigate 20 thousand hectares of land. In the future, the figure could rise to 120 thousand hectares.
– God willing, the Kermanshah railway will join the national rail network in a month’s time. Qasr-e-Shirin will become a free zone. The construction of the subway network will start in Kermanshah in the next administration.
