Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei on Tuesday urged each and every political faction to support president-elect Ebrahim Raeisi following the 20201 presidential polls.
“It’s expected from all political parties who didn’t support the winning candidate, to stand by the [new] government and show foresight,” Rabiei was quoted as saying by ISNA.
Iranians headed to polls on Friday to cast their ballots in the presidential election, choosing between three principlists and one moderate candidate. Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raeisi secured over 61% of the votes, a landslide win for the 60-year-old cleric.
Congratulating the president-elect on his sweeping victory, Rabiei expressed hope that the new government would achieve its objectives of securing “national ideals” and creating a “better life” for the public.
Rabiei pointed out, “All social and political groups and the media need to give their backing to the government as a prerequisite for its success in lifting cruel sanctions and curbing the coronavirus pandemic.”
The new president is set for inauguration on August 3, 45 days after the June 18 election. After the announcement of election results, President Hassan Rouhani visited Raeisi in his office to discuss transition of power.
“The legacy of the Islamic Republic persists with another election,” Rabiei noted. “We have a well-established and fine tradition for the transition of power.”
He added, “During Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, the approach to interacting with the next administration was discussed.” According to the official, ministers of Rouhani’s Cabinet will provide Raeisi’s team with the necessary information.
“It’s been long since ministers were urged to identify the most important issues and priorities that needed to be conveyed to the next government,” Rabiei said, noting that the new administration will be informed of all the programs that require continuity.
Foreign Policy Intact
During Tuesday’s online press conference, Rabiei said Iran’s policy in respect with the 2015 nuclear agreement is independent of presidential elections.
“Since the beginning of the election race, we reiterated that negotiations for the revival of the nuclear deal were not linked to domestic policy and election results,” Rabiei pointed out.
He added that Iran’s macro policies were devised by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and higher authorities than the government.
Iran is in talks with parties to the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to salvage the accord and remove unilateral United States sanctions. The official was optimistic about recent meetings between parties in Vienna, Austria.
Raeisi laid out his domestic and foreign policies on Monday in his first press conference after being elected as the 13th president of Iran, saying that he would continue the ongoing negotiations on the JCPOA.
He is also planning for tax cuts for businesses to boost domestic production. Cutting red tape is one of the other domestic policies of the president-elect to “bring back hope” to the people.
Nearly 48.8% of the eligible population participated in the 2021 election, some 28.9 million people.
