AFP: Moderate conservative presidential candidate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has promised to hand ordinary Iranians billions of dollars in stock options and benefits in a last ditch bid to win their votes away from hardliner Mahmood Ahmadinejad. Rafsanjani, facing a run-off against the far right-winger on Friday, said he would give “every Iranian family … AFP
TEHRAN – Moderate conservative presidential candidate Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has promised to hand ordinary Iranians billions of dollars in stock options and benefits in a last ditch bid to win their votes away from hardliner Mahmood Ahmadinejad.
Rafsanjani, facing a run-off against the far right-winger on Friday, said he would give “every Iranian family 100 million rials (around 11,000 dollars) in shares of state companies to be privatised.”
Official figures show there are 14 million families in Iran, meaning the offer represents 155 billion dollars. Rafsanjani said in a campaign broadcast that the shares would have to be reimbursed over 10 years.
He also said that every month the unemployed will receive between 800,000 and 1.5 million rials (90-165 dollars), while women heads of households would be given 700,000 rials (80 dollars).
Rafsanjani also pledged to “prioritise the poorer classes”.
