Ahmadinejad Attacks Rouhani and Principlists: What Are You to Dismiss the People's Voice?

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former President of Iran, launched a fierce attack on Hassan Rouhani and the principlists who accuse him of 'deviation' during a speech in Ahvaz on Wednesday, April 2. In this speech, Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's supported candidate for the 2017 presidential elections, accompanied him. According to reports from several websites and videos released from the speech, Ahmadinejad referred to Rouhani's government's efforts to eliminate cash subsidies, stating: 'What are you to dismiss the people's voice?! 97 percent want something, why do you go against the people? 80 million people don’t understand, but you do; it was this nation that brought you to power.' In response to statements from Rouhani's government officials about the 'destructive impacts' of the previous administration's actions, he added, 'Some have brought the works of Abel and Cain and say these are from Ahmadinejad's time.' Ahmadinejad also called for unity to 'bury the devil forever in this land.' In this context, Baghaei previously stated that after 90 percent of people registered for subsidies, government officials 'why do they keep repeating that subsidy payments are bad and should be cut?' He also promised that if elected, he would triple subsidies to 113,500 tomans in the first step, increase it to 200,000 tomans in the second step, and to 250,000 tomans in the third step. These promises come at a time when Rouhani's government officials have repeatedly stated that the government cannot afford to pay subsidies at the current level and spends tens of thousands of billion tomans from development budgets and service budgets, such as health sector budgets, to pay subsidies. On the other hand, the Iranian Parliament mandated the government in the 2016 budget bill to cut subsidies for 24 million people, but the government has so far only cut subsidies for five million people. Previously, the Parliament Research Center reported that cash subsidy distribution 'does not help improve income distribution, but can make it worse.' Cash subsidies began during Ahmadinejad's second term, and despite numerous criticisms from Rouhani's government officials, payments continue. In March, Ahmadinejad also called the statements of Rouhani's government officials about the 'emptiness of the treasury,' 'emptiness of essential goods warehouses,' and 'heavy debts' at the time of the government handover 'false claims.' In response, the Ministry of Economy, on Saturday, March 18, implicitly repeated these three accusations, also accusing Ahmadinejad's government of 'interference' and 'midnight withdrawals' from the central bank's resources and 'imposing unfinished projects on Rouhani's government.' The former President of Iran, in another part of his speech, stated: 'What does someone living in a 5,000 square meter villa in northern Tehran understand about how people in Khuzestan live?' In a sarcastic remark, referring to statements attributed to Rouhani, he added: 'Did the people of Khuzestan sin that divine punishment occurred? You are the divine punishment, not the people.' Some principlist media published statements from Rouhani in Ahvaz last March, which stated that 'if you trample the known and promote the unknown, divine punishment will descend.' However, the Iran newspaper accused principlist media of 'distorting' Rouhani's statements, and the Iranian President, in another speech, referred to phenomena such as dust storms as a result of 'oppression against nature.' Ahmadinejad further stated in his speech that 'as soon as we mention spring... we are immediately called deviants; are we the deviants or you who are robbing the rights of 80 million people of Iran?' Phrases like 'Spring Government,' 'Spring is coming,' and 'Long live Spring' are among the phrases that Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff during his presidency, raised in the past years, and Ahmadinejad repeated these phrases afterward. Principlist groups and close associates of the Supreme Leader refer to Ahmadinejad's close associates, especially Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, as the 'deviation current.' On Sunday, March 19, Ahmadinejad, in a statement supporting Baghaei's candidacy, declared his determination to carry out his 'political and social duties' in a way that 'worthy individuals' are not excluded from the 'circle of selection' unlike in 2013. Ahmadinejad also stated on Friday, March 10, that he would not directly enter the 2017 presidential elections for now, but said, 'Others who have no restrictions can.' Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, confirmed on Tuesday, September 27, that he told Ahmadinejad that 'it is not advisable' for him to participate in the upcoming elections. Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's executive assistant during his presidency, announced his intention to run for election 'completely independent of individuals, groups, parties, and political factions.' Baghaei was arrested last June on charges of 'embezzlement' and was released in January of the following year. Meanwhile, some analysts have speculated about the possibility of Baghaei's disqualification.