Raeisi Outlines Government’s Priorities

President Ebrahim Raeisi sketched out the priorities of his administration in his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday, after the overwhelming majority of his proposed ministers won a vote of confidence from the parliament. 
He emphasized that the country’s affairs must be managed in a way that people sense “justice and progress”.
“The best criterion for justice is the implementation of law … the rule of law must be considered a basic principle,” he said, President.ir reported. 
Raeisi pointed to the key public demand for combating corruption, calling on his ministers to identify and eradicate the sources of corruption, with a special eye on economic sectors. 
Containing the coronavirus disease is also among the key items on the new government’s agenda, according to the president who stressed the need for cooperation among all state institutions in this regard. 
“What has been done so far was necessary, but not adequate and we need to ensure [mass] vaccination and people’s health in a short time,” he said. 
He urged his foreign minister to seriously pursue the required consultations for the import of more vaccine doses. 
Raeisi later highlighted the importance of controlling high prices and inflation as one of the major priorities of the country at present. 
“I believe that despite sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic, we can take proper steps toward this end with the assistance and cooperation of the people,” he said, adding that the ministers must take collective action to find a way out of the current situation. 
He hoped that the High Council for Economic Cooperation between the branches of powers, which has been created to break any deadlock, can truly serve as a suitable platform to find solutions to important economic issues.

Lessons to Be Learnt

Referring to his campaign promise to build one million houses per year, he urged his minister for roads and urban development to put in extra effort to reach this objective. 
The president said his administration needs to learn from the experiences of the previous governments in economic, foreign and domestic policies and avoid repeating their mistakes. 
“We must not pursue anything which has resulted in inefficiency and must instead follow what has brought the country success,” he said. 
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei had earlier underlined the futility of putting trust in the West as an important experience gained during the government of Hassan Rouhani, calling on the future administration to learn a lesson. 
“Today, we must work hard like the early days of the Islamic Revolution and prove … that effective measures can be taken even in the short run,” Raeisi concluded. 
Prior to the meeting, the new president and his Cabinet attended a ceremony to renew allegiance to the ideals of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini. 
He said for government authorities, allegiance with Imam Khomeini equals an emphasis on their adherence to his ideologies and strategies to serve the people and address the country’s problems in practice. 
“The shining way of Imam’s thinking will always be given full attention by this government.”   
As per the teachings of Imam Khomeini and the Leader, all problems and hostilities can be overcome with God’s help and people’s support, Raeisi said, adding that his administration needs the cooperation of all people from any group or orientation.