Iran pres. candidates outline programs as televised campaigns kick off
3 Min Read
The June 28 election will have 6 approved candidates running.
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Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf sits while registering his name as a candidate for the Iranian Presidential elections on June 3, 2024. (AP)
As Iran gears up for its election day on June 18, presidential candidates have begun to make their platforms and programs public.
Iran's Ministry of Interior announced Sunday the names of the six candidates who are set to compete in the country's upcoming presidential election set to be held on June 28.
Iran opened a five-day window for interested candidates to register their names for the 14th presidential elections as successors to the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who lost his life in a tragic helicopter crash on May 19.
The #Iranian Ministry of Interior has announced the names of qualified candidates for the upcoming presidential elections.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 9, 2024
The elections are set to take place on June 28.
Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei called for the election after Iranian President #EbrahimRaisi passed… pic.twitter.com/4IZnLUheVw
According to the Ministry, the candidates are Masoud Pezeshkian, Mostafa Pour Mohammadi, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Amirhossein Qazizadeh Hashemi, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
The candidacy of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has not been approved by the Guardian Council.
During a television broadcast on Monday, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf emphasized the necessity for "transformation" in all aspects of the country through "cybernetic management".
Qalibaf, the current parliament speaker, advocated for precise and in-depth management that adheres to popularization, automation, and transparency principles.
He also stated that he had selected the motto "service and progress" for his election campaign, stressing that investment and wealth creation occur in the context of the country's growth.
The candidate addressed the issues people face daily, promising to enhance their buying power, while also promising to prioritize executing Iran's seventh National Development Plan (2023-2027).
Pezeshkian says 'stability' a general policy
Another contender, Masoud Pezeshkian, stated that he supports a "stability" strategy, saying that a change in direction would hinder the country from reaching the progress sought by the leader of the Islamic Revolution Sayyed Ali Khamenei.
"We are not going to change the direction, and the general policy is stability," the reformist politician said.
When asked about the seventh National Development Plan, he confirmed, "We are not going to write a new plan and we are not going to announce a new policy in the country."
He also cautioned that volatility would cause local investors to reconsider investing in Iran, potentially driving them to leave.
“The first step is … bringing all the people to the stage in the economic field and breaking the ice between the government and the people,” Pezeshkian suggested.
Qazizadeh Hashemi vows to nationalize economy
Another presidential contender Amir Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi said Monday that the state economy should be slowly nationalized through a genuine privatization process, citing that his campaign motto is "the government of people and families."
The Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs chairman stated that he is devoted to the late President Ebrahim Raisi's ideas of fairness, equal opportunity, and anti-corruption.
Campaigning will start on June 12 and continue until June 27, as announced by the government.
Finally, if no candidate wins a majority of votes on June 28, a runoff will be held on July 5.
Raisi's term was set to expire in August 2025, so the candidate who wins the next presidential election will serve a full term of four years.
