Rouhani on February 11: The Leader Has Taken Responsibility with the People's Vote

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated on Monday during the 40th anniversary of the victory of the 1979 Revolution at Azadi Square in Tehran that "the achievement of the Islamic Revolution was the Republic" and added that "all officials of the Islamic Republic, from the Supreme Leader to the President, members of Parliament, the Assembly of Experts, and councils, take on their responsibilities by the people's vote." This claim comes despite the fact that Ali Khamenei, the second leader of the Islamic Republic, was appointed to this position on Khordad 14, 1368 (June 4, 1989) without a public vote and solely by the Assembly of Experts. The Assembly of Experts is the only body that, according to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, is responsible for appointing and dismissing the leader. On the other hand, the Guardian Council, whose members are directly or indirectly appointed by Ayatollah Khamenei, is responsible for approving or disqualifying candidates for both the Parliament and the Assembly of Experts. On Monday, Rouhani also referred to the electoral system and ballot boxes as one of the "great blessings" in the Islamic Republic, stating: "Anyone who wants change goes to the ballot boxes, and on the other hand, individuals present their opinions, ideas, and programs, and the people choose their preferred candidates from among them." The President's remarks about the electoral process come at a time when activists and political groups, even those belonging to reformists, have criticized the candidate vetting system and the conduct of elections over the past four decades. Rouhani also commented that "freedom of parties, media, and expression exists in Iran," adding: "We are not like the previous regime that claimed there was one party in the country, and that was the Rastakhiz party, and anyone who did not want to could take their passport and leave. We have various newspapers, parties, and media outlets." This is in the context where many critical and opposing political groups do not have permission to operate in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and according to activists and human rights organizations, thousands of political prisoners were killed or executed under torture in prisons during the 1980s. Additionally, according to Reporters Without Borders, Iran is considered one of the five largest prisons for journalists in the world. On Bahman 18, this organization announced in a statement that based on an official document from the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, it can confirm that at least 860 journalists and citizen-journalists were arrested, imprisoned, and even executed in the country between 1979 and 2009. The organization had previously reported obtaining a "computer file" regarding arrests, imprisonments, and executions in Iran, which includes "one million seven hundred thousand names covering all social classes and individuals, including women, men, and children, members of religious and ethnic minorities, ordinary prisoners, and political prisoners among them, as well as political opponents and journalists and citizen-journalists." Rouhani's assertion on Monday that "freedom of parties, media, and expression exists in Iran" contradicts his earlier statement on Bahman 1, where he noted the lack of free media in Iran, saying: "Due to the lack of free media in Iran, the virtual space has become inflated, and people want to express all issues in this space." In another part of his February 11 speech, he accused the United States, Israel, and their regional allies of putting the people "under pressure and sanctions" and stated that "the enemy's one-year plans have been thwarted, and the enemy will not achieve its nefarious goals." He also mentioned Iran's assistance to Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen, adding: "We helped so that the people of these countries move towards freedom and decision-making for their own destiny." Previously, several countries in the region and the world have accused Tehran of military intervention in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, and Yemen, but the Islamic Republic has denied these accusations. "We do not seek permission from anyone to build missiles," Rouhani stated in another part of his speech, referring to Iran's military and missile power, saying: "We have not and will not seek permission from anyone to build various anti-tank missiles, various air defense missiles, surface-to-air, sea-to-air, sea-to-sea, and surface-to-surface missiles, and we will continue on our path with strength." In this regard, according to Mehr News Agency, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps displayed several of its missiles, including "Qadr," "Qiyam," and "Zolfaqar," during the 40th anniversary ceremony of the 1979 Revolution. Earlier, Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated on Bahman 18 that "stricter limitations against Iran's missile program must be reinstated." Prior to that, the European Union announced on Bahman 15 that it was "deeply concerned" about Tehran's ballistic missile activities and urged the Islamic Republic to cease these activities, especially the launch of ballistic missiles. In this context, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Foreign Minister, warned Tehran that if the talks regarding Iran's ballistic missile program prove fruitless, Paris is prepared to impose new sanctions against Tehran. Previously, the Iranian Foreign Ministry and military commanders rejected requests for discussions regarding this program, stating that these missiles do not have the capability to carry nuclear warheads. Tehran has also stated that it does not intend to increase the range of its missiles. U.S. intelligence agencies reported on Bahman 9 that Iran's ballistic missile program, which has the largest stockpile in the region, remains a threat to countries across the Middle East in 2019. "Social welfare is one of the achievements of the Islamic Revolution," Rouhani continued in his remarks commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, mentioning several construction projects and "assistance to disadvantaged groups." He added: "Before the revolution, there was a 35-fold disparity between the upper and lower deciles of society, but today this disparity has decreased to 15 times, which means we are moving towards justice, although we need to take more steps in this area." Rouhani's remarks regarding the so-called achievements of the revolution come at a time when the International Monetary Fund has predicted severe stagflation in the Iranian economy for the current and upcoming year in its latest report released in Mehr. Additionally, while several government officials have stated that millions live below the poverty line, the Research Center of the Parliament predicted an imminent increase in the number of absolute poor, stating: "Given the increasing trend of the general price index, it is expected that by the end of 2018, the point-to-point inflation rate will reach about 40 to 50 percent, and the poverty line will rise again in the coming months, predicting that more households will fall below the poverty line." Furthermore, Ahmad Meidari, the Deputy Minister of Welfare, Labor, and Social Affairs, reported on Dey 1 that 130,000 children have been identified as out of school in Iran, citing poverty, migration, and parental addiction as the main reasons for these children aged 5 to 11 being unable to attend school. In this regard, officials from official labor organizations have stated that the purchasing power of working-class households has decreased by nearly 90 percent this year due to rising inflation and prices. The minimum monthly wage for workers is 1,115,000 tomans. However, this wage is often not paid for several months in some regions of Iran, including in large companies and factories, leading to protests and strikes by workers. "Support for religious and ethnic minorities" and "the high status of women" Rouhani continued to defend the "record of the Islamic Republic" over the four decades since the 1979 Revolution, discussing what he called "the government's and the Islamic Republic's policies regarding the support of religious and ethnic minorities in the country," adding: "We continue our path in the area of women's rights, youth, minorities, Sunnis, and ethnic groups." He stated: "One of our government's slogans was citizenship rights, and today 1,825 Sunnis are working in various positions, from governors and deputy governors to district heads and various councils, and we have two ambassadors from the Sunni community abroad, which shows that our unity and integrity are increasing day by day." These remarks come as Molavi Abdolhamid, the Sunni Imam of Zahedan, has consistently stated that after 40 years of the revolution and the Islamic Republic, the Sunni community faces serious discrimination. Additionally, religious minorities in the Islamic Republic do not have the right to run for the presidency, the blood money for Muslims and religious minorities is not equal, and numerous reports have emerged about the expulsion of Baha'i students from Iranian universities. The Iranian President also stated in his speech that "Islam and the revolution gave women a high status," adding: "Today, our women are present in all fields and areas of management more than ever in the history of Iran." Fatemeh Zolghadr, a member of the Women’s Faction in Parliament, stated in Azar this year that only 17 percent of Iran's managerial capacity is held by women, and Rouhani's directive to allocate 30 percent of the management capacity of government agencies to women "is not being implemented." In his remarks, Rouhani criticized the Qajar and Pahlavi kings, stating that "during the weak Qajar and Pahlavi monarchies, two-thirds of the country was separated from Iran, meaning that the previous regimes not only betrayed the religion, culture, welfare, and lives of the people but also betrayed the territorial integrity of the country." This comes as the Islamic Republic of Iran has faced criticism in recent years for what has been called neglecting Iran's share in the Caspian Sea.