Iran election 2013: Final days of campaign

Iran election 2013: Final days of campaign
Wed Jun 12, 2013 12:14:23

With less than two days remaining to the presidential election in Iran, candidates are making their final efforts to win over voters.

With less than two days remaining to the presidential election in Iran, candidates are making their final efforts to win over voters.

Six candidates have remained in the race as former Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and former Majlis Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel dropped their bids for presidency on Monday in favor of reformist and principlist camps, respectively, Press TV reported on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, former Iranian presidents Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani endorsed the remaining reformist candidate Hassan Rohani, who has been touring the northwestern provinces of East and West Azarbaijan.

Rohani has vowed to replace extremism with moderation, pledged to restore the value of the national currency, and eradicate unemployment and inflation.

During his visit to the central city of Isfahan on Monday, principlist presidential candidate Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said he would put an end to mismanagement and uproot discrimination, inequality, corruption, inflation and unemployment once and for all. 

This is while Saeed Jalili, another principlist candidate, traveled to the northeastern holy city of Mashhad on Monday to address his supporters. Jalili described Iran as the standard-bearer of resistance in the Muslim world, saying it is not acceptable to see inflation or unemployment in the country.

Later in a televised interview, he stressed the necessity for closer cooperation between the three branches of government, namely the executive, judiciary and legislative.

In a Q&A session on TV, independent presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei stressed his plans to tackle economic problems such as inflation and unemployment, and also resolve the impasse over the country’s nuclear energy program through diplomatic channels.

Another independent candidate Mohammad Gharazi also attended a Question and Answer program broadcast on television on Monday, saying that he will form an anti-inflationary administration to control the rising prices of goods and services.

He said the best way to curb inflation is to set a fixed exchange rate for the Rial, Iran’s national currency.

The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election. Nearly 50.5 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential poll.

Iranians will cast their votes on June 14th. Campaigning will end 24 hours before the polls open.

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