Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi has secured victory in the presidential election at a critical time when Iran faces major domestic and international challenges.
For the Iranians, the improvement of economic situation ranks first among their expectations for the next government.
Raisi secured people’s vote by drawing on fighting injustice and corruption, and improving economy and people’s livelihood which have been seriously affected by the U.S. sanctions and the COVID-19.
“Controlling inflation, creating job opportunities and establishing a pension for housewives are among the needs of the country that the future president should pay attention to,” said Morteza, a 34-year-old Taxi driver in downtown Tehran and a breadwinner for his aged mother and two younger siblings.
Mohammad, a worker at a baby product factory, also echoed Morteza’s word, saying that people do not expect the president-elect to merely chant slogans in support of people; they expect him to live people’s life and to touch their problems closely.
Mahsa, a bachelor student of psychology in a university in Tehran, hoped that Raisi will set a bright future for people like her, “because at the moment I do not know what I will do after graduating from university.”
She referred to the high unemployment rate among graduates in Iran, adding that “my primary expectation for the president is to address the employment situation, because if it is resolved, a large part of the economy will also recover.”
The next government should consider a number of important issues to address the expectations of private sector economy, said Keyvan Shafei, a board member of Iran Chamber.
The first priority of the future government is to organize the country’s budgeting system, wrote Shafei in Donya-e-Eqtesad daily.
In the past, the government partially offset the budget deficit by increasing tax, using central bank resources, or printing money that created liquidity in inflation, he said, adding that if the budgeting process continues in the same way, the country’s liquidity will grow by the end of the year, resulting in rampant inflation.
The second priority is to prioritize the prospect of economic cooperation with the world.
Additionally, fighting corruption is another economic priority of the future government that should be considered, Shafei said.
The inflation rate in Iran is expected to rise to 39 percent in 2021 from 36.5 percent last year and the unemployment rate to increase from 10.8 percent to 11.2 percent, according to a recent report issued by the International Monetary Fund.
Raisi reiterated on Friday his campaign pledges by stating that the issues of unemployment, the coronavirus challenges and affordable housing occupy priority of his plan at the beginning days of his term of office.
“It will take time to implement these plans, but I will not disappoint the people, and the plans will come to fruition much sooner than expected,” Raisi said in a TV interview program.
