Hossein Raghfar, an economist in Iran, in analyzing the campaign slogans of candidates favored by the Guardian Council for succeeding regime president Ebrahim Raisi, highlighted the limitations of the president’s powers in the Iranian constitution. He stated that there are two governments in Iran’s ruling system: one that “has weapons and force” and whose actions affect people’s livelihoods, and another that “has no power.”
In an interview with the website Didban Iran published on June 25, Raghfar pointed to the limitations of “the powers within the president’s authority and the government formed by the cabinet.” Emphasizing the insignificance of appointing Raisi’s successor on the current situation, he said, “Right now, we have two governments. One is very powerful, and it has the resources. The actions it takes have a significant impact on the economy, livelihoods, and people’s lives, and it is accountable to no one. The other government has no resources and is held accountable, even though it lacks the necessary capability to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to it.”
This economist, speaking about the campaign promises of candidates favored by the Guardian Council for the presidency, emphasized that the slogan of unifying the exchange rate given by the government candidates means “bringing the dollar to 2 million rials.”
This university economics professor also emphasized that the likelihood of restoring public trust in the stock market “is impossible” and “the revival of the stock market under the current economic conditions in the country is not feasible.” He added, “In these 12 years, every year has been named after production, but every year it has gotten worse because we have not adhered to the requirements of domestic production.”
According to him, “Adhering to the requirements of production” means that “banks should serve production, while banks are giving loans for importing cars” because “they are partners in it themselves,” and “their capital turnover happens in these areas” to “compensate for their resource deficits this way.”
Raghfar also added that “the government is in the pockets of powerful institutions” and “a significant part of the country’s economy is under the control of these powerful institutions, and then the government has to be accountable.”
Referring to the current Minister of Education’s statements that “99 percent of the budget” is only “spent on paying salaries,” he added, “A government that does not have the money to manage its own education system” “has no possibility of development at all,” and “the reason is that the country’s resources are spent elsewhere.”
The statements of this economist come as on the eve of the process to appoint Ebrahim Raisi’s successor, the emphasis on the injustice of government officials and the boycott of what critics call the “election circus” have become one of the central slogans in recent livelihood protests in Iran, with protesters saying, “We have not seen justice, we will no longer vote.”
The expansion of protests by various groups, including retirees, workers from different industries, teachers, those who lost their savings, and nurses and healthcare workers, indicates increasing livelihood problems in Iran and the indifference of Iranian regime officials.
Meanwhile, the Iranian regime spends the people’s financial resources on interventions and warmongering throughout the Middle East.
