As the only pro-reform individual among six handpicked candidates in Iran’s presidential race apparently enjoys a lead, Masoud Pezeshkian has come under attack by the others, who mostly prescribe the same old policies.
They have accused Masoud Pezeshkian of not being a reformist, but trying to win the election in order to form a government that would be a continuation of pragmatist former President Hassan Rouhani’s administration.
Pezeshkian did not respond to the repeated accusations during the last two debates on Monday and Tuesday. Instead, he reiterated his obedience to Supreme Leader Khamenei and his commitment to implementing Khamenei's master plan for the country. He likely aimed to demonstrate his loyalty to Khamenei in an attempt to appease hardliners. However, this stance did little to impress reform-minded Iranians who were considering voting for him.
On Tuesday, three players other than the candidates made news by what they said. First it was Khamenei who delivered a speech that was aired live. He cautioned voters to vote for a candidate who is loyal to the regime and is determined to carry out “positive executive work.”
While some observers said he was alluding to Pezeshkian who has pledged allegiance to Khamenei during the debates and has a background in executive affairs as a former Health Minister, others opined that Khamenei was telling the voters to choose Saeed Jalili, who happens not to have played any part in the executive branch . Some netizens pointed out that the color of the stone on the gem in Khamenei's ring during his speech was the same as Pezeshkian campaign's chosen color.
On the ground and apart from the online world of armchair political analysts, videos that went viral on social media showed that in some cities including Qazvin there were posters on the walls that showed another candidate, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf next to Khamenei's son Mojtaba. Netizens interpreted that as part of the plan to groom Ghalibaf as the next president.
Another non-candidate player who came under media spotlight, was former Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh who was accused several times by some of the candidates including Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani of financial corruption by signing the wrong harmful oil contracts with entities in the United Arab Emirates.
Videos of Zanganeh went viral on the Persian social media on Tuesday rejecting the accusations and calling on the state television and the candidates involved to take part in live televised debates with him.
Meanwhile, a quarrel broke out between Jalili and Pourmohammadi over the same issue as Jalili accused Pourmohammadi of concealing the evidence in the case when he was the chief inspector. Pourmohammadi also said that he was ready to discuss this with Jalili on live television.
The third player whose words became more important than what the candidates said was former President Hassan Rouhani who protested for the third time that some candidates have levelled accusations on him and his government that he needs to be given an opportunity to respond and make the matter clear for the nation based on the country's election law.
Rouhani said in an interview posted on social media that hardline candidates spoke in a way as if the Raisi administration (2021-2024) never existed and blamed him and his government for the shortcomings and wrongdoings that took place under Raisi's presidency. The state TV was not observed to react to Rouhani's statement although he also sent a complaint in writing to the state television.
Still, the strangest comment was made by Khamenei who spoke in a way as if he was not sure the Guardian Council had made the right decision with handpicking the six candidates. He warned the voters that some of the candidates might serve the interests of the United States, repeating his decades-long argument that “the enemies” were plotting against the Islamic Republic.
