Three-minute read
Despite extensive efforts from marginalized factions to combat public apathy and boost voter turnout, the Iranian regime faced a historic nationwide boycott during its sham presidential election on June 28. Now, it is struggling to rally its own disillusioned supporters, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei imploring participation to save face for his regime. To reignite voter enthusiasm, the regime is organizing debates and initiating discussions designed to create an illusion of change in the minds of the people.
Therefore, the remaining candidates in the race are encouraged by state media to engage in heated exchanges to liven up the debates. However, instead of gaining the public’s trust, they further reveal their own and the regime’s true nature.
In the second and final debate held on Tuesday, July 2, presidential candidates Massoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili, who have advanced to the runoff to succeed Ebrahim Raisi, engaged in a heated confrontation centered on the economy. The debate, which was the most intense among the seven live televised debates, saw both candidates accusing each other of lacking expertise, knowledge, and plans, and making false promises.
Throughout the debate, Pezeshkian and Jalili repeatedly interrupted each other, questioning each other’s qualifications for the presidency with fiery remarks and smirks. Both candidates made pledges to solve the country’s economic, livelihood, housing, and healthcare problems but frequently diverted to discussing foreign policy and its economic implications.
Pezeshkian opened the debate by addressing a perceived disrespect to the slain IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in the previous night’s debate. “Last night, some interpretations suggested I had disrespected our national hero, Haj Qassem Soleimani. I consider him a model of national pride and a thorn in the enemies’ eyes. If our youth follow his path, many of the country’s problems can be resolved with his vision,” he said.
Khamenei Admits Historic Boycott in #Iran’s Sham Elections, Begs for Voter Turnouthttps://t.co/oNu4IeNV64
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) July 3, 2024
Responding to why he opposed Parliament’s law regarding decreasing compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, Pezeshkian said, “It is not true that we reject the law. From the beginning, we said we would implement the law’s framework and follow the Supreme Leader’s general policies. It is impossible for us not to execute the law.”
Key members of Pezeshkian’s campaign, including Mohammad Javad Zarif, had previously criticized Jalili as being responsible for sanctions and condemned the strategic law passed by Parliament. Pezeshkian added, “One aspect of this law is that the U.S. must fulfill all its commitments for us to return to the JCPOA. We need to discuss this challenge with Parliament, the Supreme National Security Council, and other relevant bodies to find a common language to resolve it.”
“Parliament passed a law, and it must be pursued,” Jalili said, “We fulfilled our commitments in the JCPOA; you should be demanding, not pressuring the nation to concede. The opposing side must fulfill their commitments. What concessions will you make? Tell the people.”
Jalili slammed previous administrations, saying, “You speak of honesty. Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, and Hassan Rouhani, your friends in your campaign, were in power and yet you still act like the victims; you have been in power for 40 years.”
Pezeshkian retorted, “You claim you did so much, where are the results? You promised double employment and one million housing units a year. In three years, only 900,000 housing permits were issued. You claim to have plans; why didn’t you give them to Raisi to implement?”
#Iran’s Regime Prepares to Rig Presidential #Election Results in Crisis Management Strategyhttps://t.co/RPzVhxEd5b
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) June 16, 2024
Pezeshkian continued, “All this person has done is chair the Security Council and review some papers. Someone with no management experience now claims to have plans for the country.”
Jalili responded, “You want to ignore 32 years of performance and focus only on the last three years, which have been outstanding compared to the previous 32. You claimed it was impossible to increase oil exports but compare 2019 with 2024. Compare foreign investment in 2018 with 2024.”
Jalili added, “The seventh development plan calls for 8% growth, but you prematurely claim it won’t happen. You accuse others of being like the Taliban and issue death sentences.”
Pezeshkian countered, “They say those around me are bad people. Who surrounds you? Those who attacked the Saudi embassy. He claims I am partisan; this is a blatant lie. Everyone knows I am not partisan, yet he lies to the public. How will someone who lies so easily treat the people as President?”
Jalili criticized Pezeshkian’s tenure as Minister of Health, pointing out his impeachment during the sixth parliament. Pezeshkian also challenged Jalili’s claims on inflation, noting, “If voters haven’t experienced higher inflation under Raisi’s government, they should vote for Jalili.”
Jalili denounced Pezeshkian’s supporters for likening him and his followers to the Taliban and using terms like “execution” to describe accountability. Jalili also denied Mohammad Javad Zarif’s allegation that his supporters were distributing money in villages.
Nevertheless, the staged debate, held to promote participation and draw people to the polls, was not sufficiently “challenging” or “heated” as instructed by state media. However, for the millions of Iranian people who are sick and tired of all the corrupt factions of this regime, it was revealing enough to expose the true nature of the candidates approved by the Guardian Council and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This provided further reason for a widespread boycott of the elections on Friday, as a way to reject the entire clerical dictatorship.