Parliament and Municipality Management Affected by 'Election Leave'; Deputy Speaker Becomes 'Campaign Chief' for Qalibaf; Mayor's Deputies Officially Part of Zakhani's Campaign

Critics say that Zakhani and Qalibaf, two government candidates for the presidency, have effectively left the management of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and Tehran Municipality to their own devices by involving their deputies and successors in their election campaigns. Alireza Zakhani, the mayor of Tehran, has assigned two financial and social deputies to his campaign, effectively handing over urban management to one of his 'advisors.' Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, currently the Speaker of Parliament, has engaged in the elections and appointed Ali Nikzad, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, as the head of his campaign, thus delegating the management of Parliament to the second deputy speaker. Nikzad's history alongside Qalibaf, who also led the campaign for Ebrahim Raisi in the 2021 elections, has sparked reactions. Hadi Mehrani, a political activist, shared an interview from 2017 with Voice of America, stating, 'It wouldn't hurt to revisit what kind of theft the head of the pilot's campaign is involved in, and don't forget to add the malls and towers of Jordan.' According to Ham-Mihan newspaper, Nasser Amani, a member of Tehran's City Council, criticized the presence of Tehran's mayoral deputies in Zakhani's campaign, calling it 'unprecedented' and stating, 'This is unprecedented in Tehran Municipality, and no such orders have been issued for the presence of mayoral deputies in campaigns in any term.' This council member pointed out that 'in the last two or three terms when the mayor of Tehran ran for the presidency, none of the deputies received official orders,' emphasizing that 'the presence of deputies in elections with official positions has no precedent.' In response to Ham-Mihan's question, 'If the municipality's work is proceeding without senior managers, what is the need for the election of the mayor and his deputies?' he deemed it a 'legal flaw' and stated that 'the municipality is different from government systems as it deals with the daily lives of people.' He also stressed that due to disruptions in urban management, 'naturally, we will face delays and disruptions in service delivery in the coming days.' Golrokh Iraei, a political activist imprisoned in Evin Prison, referred to Alireza Zakhani as the 'criminal of Koy-e Daneshgah' and an abuser of child laborers and garbage collectors in a letter published on her X page last Thursday. This imprisoned political activist noted the early presidential elections in Iran, stating, 'Elections are the dictator's imposition of his will on society to repeat the claim of people's participation in their destiny.' The next election of the Islamic Republic will be held on July 8 to determine the president of the fourteenth government. This election, which many consider 'appointments,' was added to the political calendar of the Islamic Republic following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. Farrokh Negahdar: Three fronts will compete in Iran's July elections; all three fronts are subordinate to Khamenei. On the line: What is your analysis of the recent developments in Iran? Urban management of the capital is in ambiguity; Chamran says Zakhani has taken leave but has not introduced a 'successor.'