Iran 2017 presidential candidates hold first live debate

The first debate among the six candidates of the 12th Iranian presidential election is being aired live on state television.

According to Press TV, today the candidates outlined their initials plans if they get elected to the Chief Executive’s post. All the six candidates are being given equal time to air their views.

Today’s debate lasted three hours.

The live broadcast aims to reduce the candidates’ campaign spending and pave the way for eligible voters to make their choice on viewing the points of debate.

Besides the incumbent, President Hojjat al-Islam Hassan Rouhani, the five other aspirants for the president’s post are former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Seyyed Mostafa Aqa-Mir-Salim, Former Minister of Industries, Seyyed Mostafa Hashemi-Taba, present Vice President, Es’haq Jahangiri, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Custodian of Imam Reza (AS) Holy Shrine, Hojjat al-Islam Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi.

Iranians will go to the polls on May 19 to elect the country’s next president.

On entering the headquarters of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) in Tehran, President Rouhani was asked if he was ready, to which he responded, "We're probably all ready that we have come [here]."

Morteza Heidari, the renowned Iranian television news host and presenter was the moderator of the debate.

Today's debate focused on social issues while the next two will revolve around economic and political matters. 

The candidates have drawn lots to determine their seating arrangement for the debate.   

The debate began with Heidari outlining its format and regulations and how the time will be broken up between the candidates.

Settlement on outskirts of cities

The first candidate to answer the first question was Aqa-Mir-Salim, as determined through the draw.

Mir-Salim expressed his serious concern about lack of management of natural resources. He said correct water management would be the first step to reduce immigration from rural areas to cities. He added that lack of attention to proper spatial planning was the main reason behind migration from rural areas to urban centres.

Hashemi-Taba said in response that Iran is plagued with severe environmental crisis.

President Rouhani, said migration to big cities is a major problem not only in Iran but in most countries. He added that unemployment and low income are major reasons behind immigration to big cities.

Qalibaf, for his part, said social and economic imbalance is a major reason behind migration.

Jahangiri said attention to the unchecked migration to big cities must be the first priority in tackling this problem.

Raisi said the first priority is to have correct figures on migration to big cities. While Qalibaf put the number of outskirts dwellers at 11 million, Raisi said the figure was outdated and was given four years ago, and the current figure stands at around 16 million.

Mir-Salim then retook to the podium and said migration should be curbed before it gives rise to social crises and added that 350,000 illegally bored wells have wasted the country’s water resources and caused migration from rural areas to urban centres. He said social facilities must be distributed evenly in cities and villages and claimed that some 10.2 million Iranians are illiterate. He noted that suitable housing must be provided in small towns and villages to prevent immigration.

Social justice

Raisi was next up on the podium. He responded to a query on social justice and how to establish and promote it in Iran. In the four minutes allocated to him, Raisi said the GINI Index, a measurement of the income distribution of a country's residents, shows class divide has increased in Iran, adding that tripling subsidies handed out to lower classes would be a good way to narrow the social gaps. He noted that tax evasion must be prevented to promote social justice.

In response, Rouhani stressed the importance of striking a balance between eastern and western parts of the country.

Qalibaf said promoting social justice would be difficult as long as urban crises are not resolved.

Jahangiri said social justice is not limited to economic issues but also includes education, political and judicial matters.

Raisi one again took to the podium to give his responses and explanations about questions raised by the other hopefuls. He said joblessness and shutdown of production units are major problems facing the country’s economy. He added that the next administration must make plans to narrow social gaps in a bid to promote justice.

Housing

Hashemi-Taba was the third candidate who took to the podium to respond to a debate question about his plans to solve the country's housing problem. He said bank loans and mass construction would be good ways to tackle the housing problem, adding that job creation would help resolve this issue.

Jahangiri said unoccupied housing units are the main obstacle to solving the housing problem and added that increasing bank loans and establishing housing investment funds would be good solutions to this issue.

Hashemi-Taba then retook to the podium and used his five-minute time to answer the raised questions.

Youth marriage

Rouhani was the next to take to the podium to respond to a debate question about his plans to encourage the youth marriage. He said unemployment was the main problem facing the promotion of youth marriage and added that boosting hope and avoiding unnecessary limitations in the society are keys to solve problems. He said hope for future has increased in the Iranian society and employment has improved. Hope for future and employment are the best ways to promote youth marriage in Iran, Rouhani added.

Raisi said banking facilities, housing and employment are the main necessities to promote marriage among young Iranians.

The other candidates also offered their viewpoints with Qalibaf challenging Rouhani on an alleged pledge that Rouhani had made during the previous presidential campaign to create four million jobs. Rouhani denied ever making that promise.

Rouhani then said oil revenues and taxation are major sources of the administration’s income and noted that his administration has reduced dependence on oil revenues to below 30 percent.

Cutting down on red tape

Jahangiri was the fifth presidential candidate to use his four-minute time to outline his plans on reducing bureaucracy in executive bodies. He said the current administration has managed to change the security-based approach to social issues and added that most of the Iranian people are not satisfied with municipalities and banks. The current first vice president said the establishment of an e-government was the major step to reduce bureaucracy.

Raisi said an electronic government would increase transparency and facilitate the administrative processes. Rouhani said some media outlets undermine the social capital in the country. In this segment, Qalibaf questioned the reason behind Jahangiri's candidacy, implying that Jahangiri has only registered to support Rouhani.

Jahangiri said forceful measures would fail to solve social problems and added that he took part in the presidential election as a representative of the Reformist camp. The current first vice president emphasized that the 11th administration has managed to increase petrochemical production by nine million tonnes.

Environmental challenges

Qalibaf was the last hopeful taking to the podium to answer a question about his plans to tackle the environmental challenges if elected president. He said the dust storm problem is currently plaguing 20 Iranian provinces and added that inappropriate measures taken inside the country has led to this crisis.

Jahangiri said the current administration has succeeded in taking essential measures to solve the environmental problems. He added that 70 percent of the dust storm problem stems from reasons beyond Iran’s borders.

Qalibaf defended the performance of Tehran Municipality in the environment-protection sector, saying it has used garbage to generate power and produce compost. The mayor of Tehran added that over 20,000 hectares have been planted with trees around the capital.

With all the six candidates having taken to the podium, the moderator announced the end of the first section of the debate and called a break before the beginning of the second round.

Round 2

In the second section, each candidate is given two minutes to answer a question raised by the moderator. Draws determine the candidate and the question that he answers.

Rouhani explained his plans to promote employment for women, saying his administration has managed to create 700,000 jobs for women. He added that women account for over 50 percent of university students in Iran.

As per the draw, Mir-Salim next responded to a question about his plans to solve the heavy traffic problem in big cities and said giving priority to public transport would be the best solution to the issue.

Jahangiri was asked about his plans to boost the social status of the elites. He highlighted the fact that Iranian elites have greatly increased the country’s scientific ranking in the world.

Raisi responded to a question about his plans to promote the culture of sportsmanship, and said it is very important for the country to win medals.

Qalibaf and Hashemi-Taba also in turn provided answered to the questions posed to them. In this section Qalibaf displayed a screenshot of the Iranian president's website which he claimed confirms his remarks about Rouhani's pledge during the previous campaign to create four million jobs.

The next and final section of the debate involved each candidate summing up their remarks. This section involved a verbal back and forth between Qalibaf and Rouhani over some of the claims against the latter by the former throughout the debate.

SS/AS