Accusations against Rouhani exacerbating Iran’s food and electricity crises

Nora Bandari

The severity of the economic and living crises of the Iranian people has increased sharply as the country awaits the presidential election marathon, prompting a number of activists and analysts to say that President Hassan Rouhani is behind the aggravation of these crises due to the Guardian Council, which is responsible for the electoral process and the selection of candidates, rejecting nominating papers for a number of the reformist movement to which Rouhani is affiliated.

High prices for food commodities

Iranian media revealed on Monday, May 24, that the Rouhani government has abandoned the management of markets, which has contributed to the rise in the prices of food commodities, indicating that this would affect the rate of participation in the elections and exacerbate public dissatisfaction.

Iranian citizens indicated that Rouhani confirmed that prices would not be raised during the last months of his presidential term. Nevertheless, the news clearly revealed that this rise in prices came with official decisions issued by the government.

Electricity crisis worsens

On the other hand, Iranian activists announced on social media that the power outage crisis has exacerbated significantly during the current period, and indicated that the main reasons behind this are the issue of digital currency production, as Tehran does not have the appropriate infrastructure to operate these currencies, but it seeks this method in order to circumvent the sanctions.

Regarding this, Iranian political analyst Nemat Ahmadi explained in an article for the newspaper Arman Meli that the roots of the power outage crisis go back to the digital currency farms that made Iranian citizens hostage to the Chinese, saying, “Are the Chinese brothers with this level of prestige and respect? So that for the sake of their interests, the reality of hospitals, universities, economic companies, and hundreds of other professions is ignored?”

Activists reported that Rouhani entered the country into a deal with China according to which Beijing can invest in all fields for 25 years, at the expense of the Iranians, which will put Iran in many crises in the coming years, and with the presence of a president who is widely expected to be from the hardline current.

Rouhani’s objection

With the start of the Iranian presidential election season and the opening of the registration process for names of those wishing to run for office on May 11, Rouhani objected to the new conditions set by the Guardian Council, which would contribute to excluding a number of reformists. He demanded that the criteria for accepting applications for the registration of candidates be in accordance with the current law, and that any change in laws must be issued by the parliament, which prompted the Guardian Council to confirm that the new conditions it had set came under an order from the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.