Second Election Debate: Candidates' Fierce Attacks on Each Other and Cold Reactions on Social Media

The second debate of the 14th presidential election in Iran was broadcast on Thursday, June 31, focusing on the theme of 'justice-oriented government service,' a concept that the propaganda apparatus of the Islamic Republic uses to define Ebrahim Raisi's government. The six candidates of this election, including Masoud Pezeshkian, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, and Mostafa Pourmohammadi, answered questions regarding the economy. So far, the reaction of the Persian-speaking social media to this debate has been very cold and indifferent, with only a limited number of users affiliated with political groups being active in the past few days. Some users have also written that regardless of the general disillusionment of society with the ballot box, the debates this time are very boring, and the candidates' statements are repetitive, failing to generate interest among the public. Several well-known media figures and political activists have complained about the 'low' level of the candidates, their inability to present creative ideas, and their unfounded accusations and repetitive statements. According to a report released by ISPA, the Iranian Students Polling Agency, which is affiliated with the Jihad University, over 73% of the surveyed population stated that they did not watch the first debate at all. Nearly 36% of respondents also said they do not follow news related to the presidential election. Ghazizadeh Hashemi: 30% of Society Needs Help Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, one of the five principlist candidates in this election, stated that 'currently, 30% of Iranian society has an income of less than 12 million and needs assistance.' He mentioned that 'in some households, there is not even one employed person, and some have no effective job. Therefore, a fundamental action is to develop jobs and employ at least one family member to improve the income status of jobs.' Mr. Ghazizadeh Hashemi announced his two main programs in this regard as 'transferring government-held assets, such as companies, shares, and land, to the people' and 'reforming the mechanisms outlined in the targeting of subsidies,' which he claimed 'has been implemented incompletely.' He emphasized that during Ahmadinejad's government, the value of subsidies was $45, which decreased to $3 during Hassan Rouhani's government and, according to him, became $11 during Ebrahim Raisi's government. Qalibaf: Criticism of Subsidy Distribution Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, another principlist candidate and Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated that 'from the beginning, we did not act purposefully in subsidies, nor was the method correct. We must pay attention to this in the 14th government.' He emphasized that 'a significant portion of our households are struggling to make ends meet,' asserting that 'the future president is responsible for ensuring that this issue is resolved.' Mr. Qalibaf added that 'maintaining the purchasing power of households is directly the responsibility of the president, who must manage it and be accountable.' Pourmohammadi: Criticism of Candidates' Performance Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the third principlist candidate, criticized the distribution of subsidies in the country, stating that 'currently, when we look at this volume of subsidy distribution and our actions, it has not provided comfort to the underprivileged classes, and economic problems have increased.' He pointed out that 'our economy has been locked for 10-11 years,' emphasizing that 'we have no resources, and this is a significant problem.' Mr. Pourmohammadi criticized other candidates for either being indifferent to sanctions or failing to take action for neutralization, which was supposed to be economic resistance. He stated that 'those around this table were engaged but did nothing.' He added: 'We did not do anything for sanctions and their neutralization, and now we are prescribing solutions?' Hassan Rouhani said the duty of two candidates in the election is 'to insult and curse.' Donald Trump's government exited the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, in May 2018, reinstating all suspended sanctions against Iran and imposing heavy sanctions on Tehran. This agreement was supposed to lead to the lifting of sanctions against the country in exchange for limiting Iran's nuclear program. Nuclear negotiations to revive the JCPOA, aimed at bringing Iran and the U.S. back to this agreement, have ended without results since summer 1401. The nuclear agreement with global powers has been heavily criticized by principlists over the years. The revival of this agreement during Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's foreign ministry under Ebrahim Raisi's unfinished government has seen no progress. Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Alireza Zakani, and Saeed Jalili, three candidates in the 14th presidential election, are among the staunch opponents of reviving the JCPOA. Zakani: Pourmohammadi Gives Wrong Directions Mr. Pourmohammadi's statements were met with criticism from Alireza Zakani, another principlist candidate, who said he was giving 'wrong directions.' He stated: 'We are a wealthy country. Our problem is that we do not distribute this wealth correctly. The direction Mr. Pourmohammadi is giving is wrong. Do not pay much attention to it. It is a dead end. All these slogans have been given before.' Mr. Zakani, who is the Mayor of Tehran, added: 'When these talks are made, it goes beyond the subject of our meeting, and it is unclear how much it will benefit the people.' Pezeshkian: The Population Below the Poverty Line Has Worsened Masoud Pezeshkian, the only reformist candidate, also commented on subsidies, stating that 'the population below the poverty line has worsened, not improved,' and 'the conditions at the borders and margins are severely deteriorating.' He considered the solution to these problems to be creating 'a common language and a shared perspective,' stating that differences must be set aside. According to this candidate, 'banks give 55% of loans to Tehran and the rest to the remaining country. This means development in Tehran and its surroundings and no development in other parts of the country.' Mr. Pezeshkian emphasized that 'with the coordination of experts, managers, and the people, a prescription must be written; otherwise, we will fix one part and destroy the rest.' Jalili: The Government Must Distribute Resources in the Best Way In his statements, Saeed Jalili, another principlist candidate, said: 'The government's duty is to distribute resources in the best and fairest way if it has any.' He specified: 'If we compare two families in Tehran or another part of the country, one family has three cars, and a four-member family has no car. The one with three cars has an income that is 12 times that of the one with no car in terms of receiving subsidies.' Intense Criticism from Pourmohammadi Towards Jalili, Pezeshkian, and Qalibaf During the debate, the candidates criticized each other's statements, with Mostafa Pourmohammadi addressing the candidates, saying: 'Currently, some important issues in the country are being denied by these gentlemen. How can this be?' Regarding Saeed Jalili's stance on sanctions, he said: 'I remember in the Supreme National Security Council in 1995, I talked extensively about the problems of FATF; he said at the end of the meeting that if you are responsible, we accept it, but we do not accept the rest of the gentlemen. We must solve the main issue!' During Hassan Rouhani's government, lengthy discussions took place about joining FATF to prevent Iran from being placed on the blacklist of this group, but due to the strong opposition of the principlists dominating the parliament, this did not materialize. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) announced in Esfand 1402 that Iran would remain on the blacklist of money laundering and urged member countries to take additional and necessary supervisory actions regarding Iran. Mr. Pourmohammadi commented on Pezeshkian, saying: 'This Mr. Pezeshkian has chaos in his headquarters, and everyone is waiting for a post! When the JCPOA was discussed, you sounded the trumpet of victory! My position is clear, and I believe in using every opportunity. But the gentlemen said all problems would be solved and did not take advantage of the opportunity to neutralize sanctions.' He added: 'Mr. Qalibaf, in these four years, you should have worked in the parliament! Now, 25 important programs in the development document are stalled for a decision. You must be accountable for your responsibilities. You do not come from the sky.' Zakani's Attack on the Only Reformist Candidate in the Election Alireza Zakani continued his time by attacking the only reformist candidate, saying: 'Mr. Pezeshkian's advisors said in their meeting that Mr. Raisi's government was three years of misery. Mr. Pezeshkian himself was a representative and minister; he should be accountable instead of giving moral advice.' His reference was to the statements of Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former foreign minister of the Islamic Republic during Hassan Rouhani's government, who on June 29 accused the principlist faction of obstructing the JCPOA, saying: 'We could have revived the JCPOA many times so that people would not suffer in misery.' Mr. Zarif claimed that the increase in Iran's oil sales during Ebrahim Raisi's government was not due to the friends but rather because when Biden came, his policy was to loosen the sanctions; let Trump return and see what friends do. Alireza Zakani, in another part of his speech, described the eight-year presidency of Hassan Rouhani as 'black,' claiming that 'the country was ruined, and three years of Mr. Raisi's government is better than those eight years, and martyr Raisi is more effective than living Raisi.' The Mayor of Tehran stated that Masoud Pezeshkian 'is following the same path as Hassan Rouhani's government' and added: 'When they followed the path from glass rooms and fancy cars, in 1392 their debt was 205 trillion, but when they handed it over, it was 1300 trillion tomans in debt. Mr. Rouhani pre-consumed a year's budget and left the government in debt.' Pezeshkian: 'Unjust Policies' Towards Sunni Regions In response to Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Masoud Pezeshkian stated that he was a minister during Mohammad Khatami's government, and the people also...