Raghefar Emphasizes the Irrelevance of Appointing a Successor to Raisi: The Government Lacks the Ability to Fulfill Its Responsibilities

An economist in Iran, analyzing the campaign slogans of the candidates considered by the Guardian Council for succeeding Raisi, pointed out the limitations of the President's powers under the Islamic Republic's constitution. He stated that there are two governments in the ruling system of Iran: one that 'has power and force' and whose actions significantly affect the people's livelihoods, and another that 'has no power.' Hossein Raghefar, a professor of economics at the university, in an interview with the 'Iran Watch' website published on Tuesday, July 5, referred to the limitations of 'the powers within the scope of the President's authority and the government formed by the cabinet' and emphasized the irrelevance of appointing a successor to Raisi regarding the current situation. He said, 'Right now, we have two governments. One government is very powerful, it has these resources at its disposal, and the actions it takes have very decisive effects on the economy and the livelihood and life of the people, and it is accountable to no one. The other government has no resources at its disposal and is held accountable, while it does not have the necessary ability to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to it.' This economist, speaking about the campaign promises of the candidates considered by the Guardian Council for the title of 'President,' emphasized that the meaning of the slogan for a single exchange rate for currency that government candidates give is that 'we will raise the dollar to 200,000 tomans.' He also noted that the possibility of restoring people's trust in the stock market 'is impossible' and 'the revival of the stock market under the current economic conditions of the country is not feasible.' He added, 'These 12 years that have been adorned with the name of production every year but have gotten worse each year, the reason is that we have not adhered to the production requirements within the country.' According to him, 'adherence to production requirements' means that 'banks must serve production, while banks are lending to import cars' because 'they are partners in that' and 'the rotation of their capital happens in these areas' to 'compensate for their resource deficits through this.' Raghefar also added that 'the government is in the pockets of power institutions' and 'a significant portion of the country's economy is under the control of these power institutions, and then the government must be accountable.' He referred to the statements of the current Minister of Education, who said that '99 percent of the budget' is only 'spent on paying salaries and wages,' adding that 'a government that has no money can manage its education system,' 'there is no possibility of development,' and 'the reason is that the country's resources are spent elsewhere.' These statements by the economist come at a time when, on the eve of the process of appointing a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, the emphasis on the injustice of government officials and the boycott of what critics call the 'election circus' has become one of the central slogans in recent livelihood protests in Iran, with protesters saying: 'We have seen no justice, we will not vote anymore.'