Ghalibaf: Officials Should Not Speak as Opposition

The Mayor of Tehran, in a statement that seems to be part of the recent wave of attacks against Hassan Rouhani, said that the country's 'crisis' is due to officials speaking from the podium as 'opposition.' According to a report on Saturday, July 8, by Fars News Agency, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf made these remarks at the first global councils and mayors conference at Milad Tower in Tehran, stating, 'I do not intend to speak politically.' However, he added that 'as long as we speak in the realm of opposition instead of accountability, no problem will be solved.' It appears that his remarks were directed at Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, who raised issues during the 12th presidential election campaign that conservatives considered similar to the statements of the Islamic Republic's opposition. Topics such as gender segregation, the executions of the 1980s, lifting house arrest from the leaders of the Green Movement, and criticism of the regime's overall policies in the region, as well as the IRGC's missile programs, were among these issues. Rouhani and his first deputy, Eshaq Jahangiri, on one side, and Ghalibaf on the other, made the sharpest criticisms of each other during the election debates. Meanwhile, the President of Iran recently emphasized the necessity of transferring the economy to a 'real' private sector, criticizing the role of state and military institutions in the country's economy. Following this stance, criticisms and responses to him began, with IRGC commanders and other high-ranking officials in the Islamic Republic taking a stand against him. However, Mr. Ghalibaf continued his criticisms of Hassan Rouhani on Saturday, saying, 'It is not good for us to speak as officials in the role of opposition; we must speak in the role of accountability and say what we have done.' He criticized all governments, stating that they have done nothing but 'weaken councils and municipalities' and that 'every day the powers of councils and municipalities are being reduced, and every day the share of urban management from budgets is decreasing.' In this speech, the Mayor of Tehran also presented a ten-year report of his work since taking office, stating that during his tenure, the municipality has transformed from an organization 'merely responsible for providing services and financing the administration of the city' to 'an entity responsible for leadership, social development, and urban economy.' He added, 'We have tried to change Tehran, which was previously said to be a bipolar city. We do not claim that we will make the south of the city like the north, and we have not made such claims, but we said we will not allow this bipolarity to increase any further in Tehran.' Following the fifth round of city council elections and the change of its members, the Tehran municipality will soon be handed over to another individual. Ali Motahari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, on July 5, hinted at Ghalibaf, stating that 'the Mayor of Tehran should not be political and pursue his political goals... This political approach causes anyone who becomes mayor to eventually aspire to the presidency.'