2024 Elections: Pezeshkian Calls 'Noor Plan' 'Darkness'; Criticism of Ghalibaf's Advisors

The most newsworthy electoral activity of candidates for the fourteenth presidential election on Friday was Masoud Pezeshkian's remarks, who likened police actions enforcing mandatory hijab under the title 'Noor Plan' to 'darkness.' The reformist candidate at his women's campaign rally on Friday, June 15, addressed the demands of some women present to abolish the 'Noor Plan,' stating, 'In Turkish, there is a proverb that says now darkness is called light.' He criticized the government's 40-year intervention in what he called 'fixing hijab and other issues in women's society' and asked, 'Has this ever happened?' The presidential candidate continued, 'It is very simple to examine and see whether the intervention done in the name of light leads us towards darkness or light.' Pezeshkian also added that he does not make 'promises,' but will do 'everything in my power to change such a situation' and 'will undoubtedly be an advocate for women's rights.' In images from this sparsely attended rally, several women without mandatory hijab can be seen, and some social media users have written that whether Pezeshkian pursues their demand for freedom of dress or not, their presence without hijab at an electoral event is a significant achievement for Iranian civil society and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement. In one of the videos published from the rally, the chant 'Women, Life, Freedom' is heard at least once. On the other hand, some users referred to this rally as a gathering of men from the Khatami and Rouhani governments who attended with their families. Ghadiani: Participating in a Show Election is Passivity, Not Boycotting Despite the ongoing activities of the reformist movement and figures close to it, some of whom are trying to create electoral enthusiasm, Abolfazl Ghadiani, a political activist opposed to the Iranian government and leader of the Islamic Republic, emphasized the necessity of boycotting the elections in a text published on the Zeyton website. Mr. Ghadiani called the elections a 'puppet show' and wrote that 'boycotting this show election is both a civil and effective action and... prepares the ground for future activism.' This political activist added, 'Contrary to what some say, boycotting elections is not passivity; participating in a show parliament and government that has become so barren and impotent is complete passivity. Participating in elections without any program, will, or ability to curb tyranny is sheer surrender. Participating in an election that grants legitimacy and thus prolongs the life of the ruling tyranny without any reward or gratitude is a preparation for further destruction of this ancient land.' He sarcastically addressed those who say one should take advantage of the 'opportunity' of elections, writing: 'As if through the puppet show of elections, where the actors and its ad-hoc laws are determined piece by piece according to the whims of the tyrant today, Ali Khamenei, anyone with the slightest suspicion of non-compliance or influence contrary to the desires of the tyrannical power ruling Iran is written off.' He also indirectly identified Pezeshkian, Ali Khamenei, and his 'think tank' as behind the approval of this candidate for the elections, adding that his goal is to 'regain the legitimacy of his government, which has completely been lost, and reverse the steep decline of legitimacy from the absolute rule of the jurist.' Despite the silence of some well-known reformist figures, including Mostafa Tajzadeh, regarding these elections, some political activists close to reformists, including Abbas Abdi, have called for criticism of the three-year policies of Ebrahim Raisi's government and have asked candidates why they avoid criticizing the current government. This request, likely aimed at increasing electoral enthusiasm, comes at a time when Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage have been referred to as 'martyrs of service,' and even the Supreme Leader has emphasized his unprecedented actions as a president. Up to this stage of campaigning, none of the electoral candidates have explicitly criticized Raisi's performance and his cabinet. Ahmad Alamolhoda, the father-in-law of Ebrahim Raisi and representative of Ali Khamenei in Khorasan Razavi province, said in yesterday's Friday prayer sermon in Mashhad: 'In the course of the martyrdom of the martyr president, we must not allow two events to occur: one is that under the guise of myth-making, the managerial personality of the late Ayatollah Raisi is questioned, and the second is that the thirteenth government appears ineffective.' This time, Ghalibaf's advisors made headlines. Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, continuing his electoral campaign activities, said on Friday evening, June 15, in a roundtable discussion broadcast on the first TV channel that 'a president should not come who wants to practice his ideas.' It seems Ghalibaf, who has faced more pressure and criticism than other candidates over the past few days regarding the issue of lawsuits against journalists, directed these remarks at Saeed Jalili. He stated, 'Today, the income and expenses of Iranian families, even for those with fixed incomes, do not match. Therefore, a president should not come who is unaware of the issues and lacks authority. No one should come who lacks the ability to build consensus, a strong record, and experience.' The Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly added that the future president must tell the people what he brings to the ground and what is on the people's table during the implementation of the seventh program and 'must state what happens in infrastructure and production progress and how its effects are seen on the people's table.' Ghalibaf also identified 'mismanagement, incompetence in work, inefficiency, and corruption and squandering of resources' as some of the problems in managing the country and emphasized controlling inflation and economic growth. Aside from Ghalibaf's remarks, the topic that has made headlines on social media regarding his appearance on this television program was the presence of his advisors Majid Shakari and Amir Siyah alongside him. Some users have noted that Majid Shakari was previously in favor of filtering Telegram and opposed Iran's joining the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regarding money laundering. During Hassan Rouhani's government, lengthy discussions in the cabinet were held about Iran's joining the FATF to avoid being placed on the blacklist of this group, but due to strong opposition from the ruling principlists in parliament, this did not materialize. After some users criticized Amir Siyah, another advisor of Ghalibaf, for 'insulting' government employees, he denied this in a video, stating that he meant 'corrupt managers and systems' whom he called lacking 'economic awareness' and hoped that with Ghalibaf's victory, the 'humiliation' of these corrupt managers would be removed and they would be expelled from offices and government. This indirect criticism of Raisi's government managers regarding corruption comes at a time when Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf and his wife and children are linked to several major corruption cases. In the principlist electoral camp, a tweet by Hamid Rasai, a former parliament representative and a hardline principlist figure, regarding whether for the elections one would prefer a president with extensive executive experience or one with little executive experience and no corruption, became a controversial topic on social media that clearly points to Ghalibaf's corruption compared to Jalili. Another low-key day for other candidates and Qazizadeh's remarks about withdrawing in favor of the 'most qualified.' On Friday, other candidates for the fourteenth presidential election either did not have much electoral activity or did not make new statements compared to before. Amir Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi, head of the Martyrs Foundation, introduced speeding up internet access as one of the important projects of his government under the title 'Government of the People and Family' and criticized that, according to him, 'in the seventh development law, attention has not been given to speeding up access at this level.' Qazizadeh Hashemi also, on Saturday, June 16, in a press conference held at Fars News Agency, in response to a question about the possibility of withdrawing in favor of Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, said, 'God willing, all dear ones will withdraw in favor of the most qualified, and the consensus should be in favor of someone and a team that can create the most consensus, cooperation, and the strongest government.' However, he did not give a direct yes or no answer regarding himself to this question. The head of the Martyrs Foundation explained the reason for his registration in the presidential election as follows: 'We tried to have someone from the government as a candidate and reached out to the deputy, but dear ones did not come, and I became worried that no one from the martyr Raisi's team would be in the elections and was concerned about the discursive issue as I believed that this way the country could no longer be managed, and therefore I registered, and the Guardian Council also approved me.' Previously, the disclosure of a letter signed by several members of Raisi's cabinet to the Guardian Council in support of Mahdi Esmaeili, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, had caused a stir. Candidates' campaigns; challenges over detained journalists and dismissed professors, and defending proxy forces. On Friday, Saeed Jalili's remarks about the Rouhani government, stating that 'what they pursued regarding the JCPOA was really nothing, and the achievements of the 90s in factories and the economy were also almost nothing like the JCPOA,' received limited attention on social media. Some users also criticized the presence of Mahdi Safari, one of the deputy ministers of foreign affairs, as one of Jalili's advisors alongside him in a television program, labeling this event as 'a definite electoral violation.' Reactions to Saeed Jalili's remarks that 'if we have 10 refineries like the Persian Gulf, not only do we not need to sell oil, but we should also buy oil,' continue in social media. Critics describe Jalili as unprofessional despite his claims of years of study and listening to experts instead of being present in political circles. Ali Zakani's remarks, the mayor of Tehran, in a special news dialogue that 'we will deliver items to people's homes with dignity' have also become a subject of humor on social media. The fourteenth presidential election in Iran is set to take place on July 8, following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, earlier than scheduled.