More Stories
Former chief of Iran’s Central Bank, Abdolnaser Hemmati, told local media that one of the first tasks for the new president should be reaching an agreement with the West to lift sanctions.
In the first 100 days, “it is important to establish a policy of understanding with the United States and the three European powers to reduce sanctions and thus lower inflationary expectations. The government's first step should be to suppress these inflationary expectations,” Hemmati, a critic of Iran’s hardliners stated.
Nuclear negotiations by the Biden administration and Britain, France and Germany, which started in April 2021 failed to forge a new agreement to revive the Obama-era JCPOA nuclear deal. As a result, Trump administration’s oil export and international banking sanctions remained in place seriously impacting Iran’s weak economy.
Hemmati and numerous other experts and analysts in Tehran have long called for a change of course by the Islamic government, which has increasingly adopted a more hardline posture since 2020, not only in foreign policy but also in its repressive measures against social and political freedoms. Many hope that the election of the relatively moderate Masoud Pezeshkian can bring about a measure of change in both foreign and domestic policies.
The former chief banker is considered a ‘reformist’ who was a candidate in the 2021 presidential election when the hardliner candidate Ebrahim Raisi was elected amid heavy-handed engineering of the election process. He registered as a candidate again for the latest presidential elections but the notorious Guardian Council rejected his qualification.
“In the first 100 days, the government must demonstrate that it does not intend to continue the previous erroneous path,” Hemmati said. Although the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian has made many promises, he has offered few concrete plans for change. He has emphasized the need to improve relations with the international community, but when it comes to the United States, everyone believes the key is in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s hand.
However, beyond improving ties with the West and lifting of sanctions, the government needs to open up the state-controlled economy to more market competition, Hemmati emphasized. “It is important to announce the main economic policy of distancing from a command economy and implementing primary policies based on competitive strategies to align and integrate the private sector with the state economy.”
Hemmati also highlighted his concern about Iran’s annual inflation rate hovering around 50 percent. The government must “correct wrong decisions to control the budget deficit and manage variables that lead to increased inflation."
With sanctions stifling oil revenues, the government has resorted to printing money to balance its budget, which has fueled runaway inflation in the past five years.
Calling for the president to be able to exercise his constitutional power, Hemmati said there is no need for a stronger or weaker president, but the constitution should be respected and applied in regards with presidential authority.
President-elect Pezeshkian’s press conference, scheduled to be held on Saturday afternoon Tehran time, has been canceled.
The event was supposed to take place in Tehran with both domestic and international journalists in attendance.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has thanked all candidates and people involved in holding the presidential elections, saying that the nearly 50-percent voter turnout neutralized calls to boycott the elections.
“This grand act of defiance against the fabricated uproar of election boycott, which the enemies of the Iranian nation had orchestrated to instill despair and deadlock, is a brilliant and unforgettable feat,” he said.
After a lackluster voter turnout in the first round of elections on June 28, Khamenei admitted that the participation rate was disappointing and “less than expected.” After he cast his vote in the runoff, he expressed hope that more people would show up for the second round."I have heard that people's enthusiasm and interest is higher than before (the previous round), I hope it is true" he said trying to sound positive.
In his message on Saturday, Khamenei also called on the newly elected president to continue the path of the late President Ebrahim Raisi.
Syrian President Bashar Assad congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as the Iranian president.
In his message, Assad said that Syria and the Islamic Republic would work towards "strengthening strategic relations and opening new horizons for bilateral cooperation."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as the new president of Iran, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
"I hope that your activities as president will contribute to further building up constructive bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our friendly peoples, in the interests of simplifying regional security and stability," the statement said.
