Attack on Reformists with Ahmadinejad's Legacy

The newspaper Etemad dedicated the front page of its second issue of Esfand to the citizens' reception of the second reformist conference at the Hijab Hall in Tehran, describing it as a symbol of a "widespread wave of reformism". Simultaneously, it reported on its front page about "Hashemi's call, Rouhani's invitation" for maximum participation in the elections. The newspaper quoted Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as saying: "Let’s make a historic day and prevent the hardliners" and quoted Hassan Rouhani as saying: "Let’s meet at the ballot boxes on Friday, write down the names of 46 people in Tehran." Ahmad Shirzad, a reformist figure, wrote in a note in Etemad that "with votes" one can send a message to the officials, stating: "People may not be able to articulate their ideal words, but their fundamental message is to avoid extremism, radicalism, one-sidedness, and monopolism in the current political atmosphere of the country." The newspaper Ebtekar, alongside a photo of the reformist conference, wrote on its front page: "I will vote for the list." Jalal Khushchehreh, a journalist, emphasized in a note in Ebtekar that "the conscious presence at the ballot boxes is the next step for supporters of an approach that achieved the desired result in the 11th presidential election," stating: "If we have a widespread and numerous presence at the ballot boxes contrary to the views of the adversaries, we will be able to experience the art and result of wise selection once again." Sadegh Zibakalam also wrote in a note titled "Only vote for the list" in the newspaper Arman, stating: "Although many figures on the reformist coalition list are unknown, all reformists support this 30-member list of the comprehensive reformist coalition, and figures like Hashemi Rafsanjani and Hassan Khomeini have also 'signed' it." The author of the Arman newspaper evaluated the reformists' electoral list as "a very big victory" and noted that the reformists managed to form a "moderate and centrist front" against the "principlist and extremist front," stating: their 30-member list in Tehran includes three groups: reformists, moderates supportive of Rouhani's government, and moderate principlists, while on the other side, the principlists could only form an alliance with extremist groups, the Stability Front, and supporters of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iran newspaper, close to the government, in its Sunday issue emphasized in a note titled "Why we should participate in the elections" that "around us, we witness countries that have been unable to pursue and resolve their problems or demands through the ballot box and with the tool of elections." Gholamali Dehghan, in a note in Iran, pointed out the necessity of "forming a parliament with a discourse of moderation" in the post-JCPOA conditions to respond to the people's demand for "economic prosperity and improvement of the business environment in the shadow of interaction with the world and attracting foreign investments," emphasizing that the Iranian nation "is hopeful for the ballot boxes and is trying to approach its demands through the rotation of political activists with the tool of 'vote', even though sometimes these demands may not be maximal and may only include a floor of requests." Meanwhile, the Law newspaper published a note emphasizing that "gray votes are not decisive in this election," stating: "The undecided voter prefers to make a decision at the last moments and usually votes for a candidate whose chance of winning is greater than others," and although such votes are fruitful in presidential elections, "for forming a moderate parliament, it is not gray votes but the cohesion and unity among moderate and reformist forces that is the decisive factor and starting point." The Kayhan newspaper, in its front page titled "The slap in the face of the list of the elite to the livelihood of the people," wrote: "The current government and those who have labeled themselves as reformists and moderates have no words or plans to solve the people's problems and speak of issues that have no relevance to the people's problems." Kayhan emphasized that "among the list of supporters of the government and reformists, not even the name of one economist can be seen, while day and night they talk about lifting the house arrest" and "restoring freedom to society." The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, also reported on its front page about "revolutionary economists warning about the lack of a coherent financial program to manage the country" and wrote: "Banks are lending to smugglers." This newspaper simultaneously published a report emphasizing that the electoral composition of "principlists is more economic than reformists." The Hemayat newspaper, affiliated with the prison organization, also wrote in a note titled "Economic necessities of the tenth parliament," stating: "Choosing representatives who are committed to the higher interests of the system can certainly create a significant leap in the country's economy." The Tejarat newspaper, however, in its Sunday editorial addressed the principlists, stating: "Do not give the people the wrong lesson." This newspaper described the principlists' criticisms of the principlist electoral list as "allegations with electoral consumption" and wrote: "In the reformists' list across the country, there are candidates who 'actually have economic expertise, are famous, and even currently hold the presidency of the Budget and Planning Commission or the Joint Commission of the Parliament.'" Hamidreza Shakouhi, the editorial writer of Tejarat, also referred to the disqualification of several economic figures of the reformists and wrote: "Most of the economic figures of the principlists are either present in the current parliament or 'supported the previous government whose economic record is clear' because 'Mahmoud Ahmadinejad handed over the government with 10 percent inflation from the reformist government and handed it over to the moderate government with over 45 percent inflation.'" The Sadr newspaper reported with the title "Attack on Reformists with Ahmadinejad's Legacy" quoting Hossein Raghfar, an economist, stating: "During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's two governments, we faced a 'historical catastrophe' and 'the effects of the wrong policies of the ninth and tenth governments will remain in the country for decades, and a large part of the current economic crisis is due to the policies of the previous government.'" Saeed Sadoughi Mazandarani, in a note in the Law newspaper titled "The relationship between the slogan of poverty alleviation and the development of poverty," wrote: "Reducing class distance has no other way than the growth of the middle class, and this growth is defined as a concern and perhaps a danger point for authoritarian thought due to changing expectations and social demands." The author of the Law newspaper emphasized that "the slogan of supporting the poor, if it leads to the preservation and development of the factors of poverty, is a strategy that guarantees the security of authoritarianism." The World Industry newspaper published statements from the head of the Independent Committee for Combating Drugs of the Expediency Discernment Council about the drug cycle in Iran, quoting Ali Hashemi as saying: "Currently, the distance between the withdrawal and intoxication of each addict in small cities is two minutes and in large cities is ten minutes." Ali Hashemi stated: "During the eight years of the ninth and tenth governments, as much as eight years of sacred defense, the youth of this country were destroyed and perished through drugs." The Information newspaper, in a report titled "The cardboard sleepers, a wound on the face of the city," wrote: "Results of some studies have shown that more than 10,000 homeless people live in Tehran, of which more than 75 percent are addicts." The Javan newspaper reported on criticism from some military commanders regarding Hassan Rouhani's government's action in "removing the Basij from the sixth development plan" and quoted Ali Fazli, the deputy commander of the Basij, as saying: "It is bad for the government to stand against the people." According to this newspaper, the Rouhani government has removed support for the Basij ranks, assistance in countering soft and cyber warfare, and support for the millions-strong Basij from the sixth development plan, which has led to criticism from some military commanders.