Rouhani Emphasizes the Importance of Hearing the Voices of Youth, Women, and Minorities in Elections

Hassan Rouhani acknowledged that the people's vote for him does not mean there are no grievances regarding the government's activities, but he added that in the elections, the voices of the people, including minorities, women, and youth, were heard. According to IRNA news agency, Mr. Rouhani said on Sunday, May 31, in the first cabinet meeting after the presidential elections that 'the voice of the people was well heard in this election.' He added: 'In this election, the voices of young people who wanted to ensure a better future for the country and their lives, the voices of girls and women who wanted to speak about equal opportunities for social activities, the voices of all families concerned about their children's future, the voices of all ethnic and religious minorities who wanted to ensure the precise implementation of civil rights, and the voices of people who lamented the lies and slanders and stood against deceptive paths were heard.' Before the elections, leaders of some religious minorities, including Molavi Abdolhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, and some other prominent Sunni clerics supported Hassan Rouhani in the presidential elections. At that time, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan, while supporting Mr. Rouhani, criticized the failure to meet some of the demands and requests of the Sunni community during his first term. Issues such as 'the lack of Sunni representation in ministries and high-level national management,' 'very few qualified Sunnis in provincial management,' and 'the lack of support from reformists for Sunnis when facing problems' were among these criticisms. The Sunni Friday prayer leader of Zahedan also listed 'participation in high-level national management' and 'ensuring religious freedoms' as the most important demands of the Sunni community from the future President of Iran. Sunnis in Iran have been deprived of some social rights, including the ability to hold high government positions, although in 2015, Saleh Adibi was appointed as the first Sunni Kurdish ambassador to Vietnam and Cambodia. In Hassan Rouhani's government, Emad Hosseini, a representative of the Sunnis in the eighth parliament, works as the deputy minister of oil. Reports about restrictions on Sunni clerics in Iran have also been published previously. Baha'is are another religious minority group in Iran that are deprived of rights such as university education and holding government jobs. Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians in Iran are also barred from holding high government positions. In Hassan Rouhani's first government, no woman was appointed as a minister; however, Masoumeh Ebtekar was introduced as the head of the Environmental Organization, Elham Aminzadeh as the assistant to the President for civil rights, and Zahra Ahmadipour as the head of the Cultural Heritage Organization. The eleventh government, however, appointed four women as governors and 13 women as district governors for the first time. 'The people's vote does not mean there are no deficiencies in executive matters,' Mr. Rouhani said in another part of his speech, stating that the people's vote for him 'does not mean they are not complaining about the work of the eleventh government and deficiencies in the country's executive affairs.' He added: 'Of course, those who voted for others, their vote does not mean rejecting the services of the eleventh government, as we know our people trust the path they chose and selected again, and they want us to continue this path with more effort.' The elected president also emphasized that this election was not a defeat for any faction or party. He added: 'We are facing adversaries and opponents in the region and the world, and we must hold each other's hands to confront them and spare no effort in advancing the country.' Mr. Rouhani also urged the people to consider themselves 'step by step' involved in the country's destiny and express their opinions and thoughts through parties, groups, social media, NGOs, and specialized associations. On Saturday, Hassan Rouhani described his election as 'a victory of peace and reconciliation over tension and violence,' stating that 'today the world knows that Iran has chosen a path away from violence.' On the same day, Ibrahim Raisi, Mr. Rouhani's main rival in the elections, issued a statement without congratulating the election winner and emphasized the 'pursuit of clear violations' in the election process, describing his vote as 'an important asset and a significant backing' that, according to him, 'cannot be ignored in the political arena and major decision-making of the country.' Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, another candidate who withdrew from the elections, also announced that he entered the presidential election campaign to combat the group known as the 'four percenters' and that any government must take immediate action to rectify 'corruptions' that have 'deep roots in the relationship between power and wealth.' In this context, Raisi called for the Guardian Council to address 'electoral violations.'