Rafsanjani predicts ‘highly competitive elections’

Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who was addressing a group of Islamic Labor Party and Youth Council of the party on Saturday, said that the general public had taken decision on coming to ballot boxes, which he believed, would register even higher turnout with the Guardian Council approving a group of disqualified candidates and creating a competitive atmosphere. “If it is the case for the Council, then we will have a highly competitive election,” told Mr. Hashemi to the meeting.

“If a given percent of candidates who were disqualified initially, are given opportunity out of moderation and seeking to redeem their rights, people will come to vote with enthusiasm and will vote for their favorite candidates, and will wait to see the name of their candidates comes out of the boxes,” Hashemi Rafsanjani emphasized. “Today, with universality of literacy and a high percent of the Iranian young cohort having university degree, no political oppression and despotism could ever be tolerated; we are as well interested in this young population to come to the fore and accept the responsibilities in running their country,” he asserted.

On a question on the lack of interest on women candidates and general reluctance to give sensitive government positions to women, Rafsanjani believed that after the Revolution, “women had been gradually finding their way through the government positions as well as social life; however, despite the conditions conducive for their full participation in political and social life, they have still lagged behind, since the general public would not lend due importance to them; this is the issue,” said the Expediency Council head.

Hashemi hailed women’s higher education record and their assuming roles in educational and some management positions in universities and schools; “the system had promoted its plans to give women education necessary for their roles as half of the society; now we have an educated, well-aware, and hopeful country where men and women work equally in different fields,” he concluded.

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