President Hassan Rouhani renewed a call on the people to vote in next week’s elections in favor of candidates who will help pave the way for national development.
“We should choose candidates who, as the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has put, will lay the railroad tracks for the movement of the government’s and establishment’s [train] toward progress and development,” Rouhani was quoted by IRNA as saying on Saturday.
Feb. 26 will see hopefuls surviving the strict vetting of the Guardians Council, a body charged with screening candidates for any vote, competing for the 290-seat Parliament and the 88-member Assembly of Experts.
The clerical assembly is empowered to monitor, dismiss and select the Leader.
“We will pick representatives whose primary concern is national interests. We will elect those who, when necessary, would pick the best person to lead the country and the system,” he said.
The president noted that a high turnout would give a significant boost to his plans to help tackle the current economic downturn.
“A large turnout and long lines [of voters] at the ballot box will pave the path for creating an economic upturn, attracting investment and providing employment for the youth.”
“We should choose those who seek to help boost non-oil exports, those who will help promote economic growth and weather the slump,” Rouhani stressed.
Rouhani’s government aims to draw foreign investment and technology to cut the country’s reliance on oil, whose prices have plunged to 12-year lows around $30 per barrel from $115 in mid-2014.
“We should provide a welcoming climate for the activities of foreign and local investors. Investment and technology are essential to create a positive business climate for the Iranian workforce.”
