Candidates' Campaigns: From Opposition to the President's Contracting to Claims of Utilizing Women's Capacities

On the second day of televised programs for the candidates of the 14th presidential election in Iran, Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and Saeed Jalili promoted their agendas on Tuesday, June 22. All three candidates belong to the conservative faction. Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, the current head of the Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation, introduced the most important action of his government, if he were to win the presidency, as 'reviving ethics in the political and administrative space' and stated that the urgency of his government would be 'economic issues,' with a priority on 'family matters.' He also mentioned the potential of women, saying, 'Women have high capacities, and unfortunately, we have not yet been able to provide the necessary infrastructure for their management. In fact, women are disciplined managers, and their susceptibility to corruption is very low.' However, this candidate did not provide details about his plans for empowering families, including defending the rights of women and children, women's freedom in work and education, and the type of dress, nor did he express his views on the 'Violence Against Women Bill,' which has been pending for years, or the exclusion of women from major decision-making and managerial positions, including the presidency. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also referred to the 'Seventh Development Plan' as 'one of the important tasks of the 13th government and the 11th parliament' and emphasized the implementation of its components. Mr. Qalibaf, whose name is linked to several major corruption cases and even mentions his wife and two sons in several cases, stated without any explanation regarding these cases that his government would prevent 'easy and rent-seeking money.' He specifically mentioned fighting 'tax evasion' and said that it could be prevented through 'smart management.' Qalibaf also emphasized family matters, maintaining household purchasing power, and reducing the time to become homeowners from 13-14 years to seven and a half years. However, he did not respond to reports from several journalists regarding the formation of a legal case against them by the former mayor of Tehran. In his first televised program, when asked by the host whether he would allow journalists to criticize him without fear after winning the vote, he replied, 'We did it; we legislated it in the parliament.' These statements faced widespread reactions on social media, with users referring to the imprisonment of Yashar Soltani, the whistleblower of Qalibaf's 'violations' during his tenure as mayor of Tehran. Ali Mojtahedzadeh, a lawyer, also wrote on X that he is willing to present documents of Qalibaf's complaints against 14 journalists to his representative. Vahid Ishtari, a conservative activist on social media and a member of the 'Justice-Seeking Movement,' who has previously made many revelations about Qalibaf, including the so-called 'Sismoni Gate' case, tweeted about Qalibaf's team's actions against several whistleblowers of their corruption cases. However, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf did not react to these widely discussed issues on social media during his second program. The third televised program of the second day was dedicated to Saeed Jalili, who presented his plans in a half-hour program on Channel One. This conservative figure, who was previously the head of Iran's nuclear negotiation team and the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, stated that Iran is at a 'historical juncture' and that 'one cannot make the right decision at this historical juncture with last-minute studying.' He added without any clear explanation that his government would work with 'targeted, strategic, and prioritized decisions' rather than 'subordinate and superficial decisions' and intends to 'make up for centuries of backwardness in a few years.' Some social media users pointed out that Mr. Jalili's remarks about 'centuries of backwardness' contradict the slogans of Islamic Republic officials, who constantly claim that Iran is reaching the 'peaks of progress.' Previously, it was said that Ibrahim Raisi's government, which would hold early presidential elections due to his death in a helicopter crash, pressured his ministers to reduce the time for long-term projects to a few weeks. Jalili further stated that he does not consider the presidency a 'contracting position' and said, 'The presidency is a position of discernment and decision. Avoiding doubt and delay and incorrect haste is essential for this position.' These remarks come after the extensive powers of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and his intervention in all branches of the country have led to the president being referred to as a contractor and agent for executing his demands. Mr. Jalili also claimed that for the past eleven years, 'most of his time' has been focused on 'understanding the country's issues and their solutions,' and for this reason, he has avoided attending 'low-quality political meetings.' He did not specify which faction of conservatives he meant by 'low-quality political meetings.' Jalili also emphasized prioritizing 'financial discipline' in his government, stating that 'financial discipline has not been taken seriously over the years.' This conservative candidate also deemed the government's oversight of the flow of money in the country essential, saying, 'Where do the large sums of money go, and who holds them? When the government does not have the governance of the rial, it cannot answer these questions.' These statements come at a time when many large economic enterprises and institutions in Iran operate under the supervision of the Supreme Leader and are not accountable to any entity, nor has any report on their financial transactions been published so far. In addition to these televised programs, the candidates' electoral debates will also be held on Monday, June 28, Thursday, June 31, Friday, July 1, Monday, July 4, and Tuesday, July 5.