On the third anniversary of President Hassan Rouhani's endorsement by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in August 2013, parliamentarians have commented on the three-year performance of his administration.
Behrouz Nemati, the spokesperson of Majlis Presiding Board, described the overall performance of Rouhani's government as positive and said the government's approach to foreign policy and its efforts to control the inflation have been effective, ICANA reported.
"The government has also been brave enough to address its internal issues and accept its faults," said Nemati, adding that this was not often seen in previous governments.
He pointed to the issue of inflated executive salaries, which recently sparked controversy in Iran and said what Rouhani did in this regard was "revolutionary", referring to the measures to cap executive pay and deal with managers of public firms that acquired funds illegally.
***Need to Tap Domestic Potential
On the economic front, however, Nemati stressed that the government is expected to take more serious actions.
"We have huge potential in industry, energy and biotechnology, and should not only hope and depend on foreign investment. By using knowledge-based companies as an inseparable part of Resistance Economy [a set of principles to promote economic self-reliance and weaning the country off oil revenues] and further empowering the private sector, the government will be able to boost economic growth," he said.
On the US approach to last year's nuclear deal, Nemati said despite the fact that the Americans have failed to fulfill parts of their commitments, on the whole, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is officially known, has benefited the country and established Iran's nuclear rights.
"Before JCPOA, we had negotiated for about 12 years but no one [particularly western powers] had acknowledged that Iran had a nuclear program for peaceful purposes," he said.
"The government has adopted a good foreign policy and our relations with the outside world is acceptable."
Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, another member of parliament, has an unfavorable view of Rouhani's track record, criticizing the government's management and said it has tied the resolution of every issue to the outcome of the nuclear agreement.
"This has led other capacities of the country to remain unexploited," he said.
"Every government has strengths and weaknesses and this government is no exception."
The lawmaker pointed to the president's pledge to solve major economic issues in 100 days, which he could not keep completely.
"Lack of coordination among some ministers and members of the government's economic team resulted in not a very tangible improvement in people's living standards," Amirabadi said.
In remarks apparently meant to downplay the government's efforts to improve Tehran's international relations, Amirabadi said the government is not the only state body that decides in the area of foreign policy, adding that other institutions, such as the Supreme National Security Council, also play an important role in this regard.
