The top vote-getter in the recent legislative elections in Tehran said easing economic problems and moving the country forward is subject to close collaboration between the government and the incoming parliament. Speaking in Tehran on Tuesday, Mohammad Reza Aref said although the administration of President Hassan Rouhani has managed to curb inflation and improve people's livelihood, it alone cannot meet all the economic demands of the masses.
"The Majlis should see itself as a partner of the government," he said, IRNA reported.
Aref, who is the head of the Reformist Policymaking Council, said, "The parliament should lay the groundwork for the government", adding that structural economic reforms, in line with the Resistance Economy, a set of policies proposed by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution to promote self-reliance, should be high on the agenda.
The pro-reform politician and a former vice president said if the next assembly wants to be effective, its lawmakers should strive to promote solidarity, its factions should engage in closer interaction and ensure their competition is be fair and friendly. There will be two major factions in the new chamber: one is the so-called List of Hope, an alliance of reformists and government backers that holds a simple majority and the other are the principlists.
According to a tally by ISNA, the results of the two-round parliamentary elections, which were held in February and April, show the List of Hope has secured 120 seats, principlists have 83 and the remaining seats belong to independents. With nine ten days left before the opening of the next Majlis, the two groups are campaigning to convince independent lawmakers to join their parliamentary blocs.
In a meeting of the election winners of the List of Hope on Tuesday, Aref was elected as interim chairman of their faction named "Hope".
