TEHRAN -- Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said Saturday his government will prioritize tackling COVID-19 and accelerating vaccinations ahead of an economic revival, as he defended his cabinet choices before parliament.
The principlist-dominated parliament began debating the lineup in the morning ahead of a vote of confidence expected later this week.
“The government’s first priority is controlling the coronavirus, improving the health situation and widespread vaccination,” Raisi said.
“The economy and the livelihood situation is the second” priority, he added, noting that his lineup is meant to bring about “justice and progress”.
Raisi has tapped 63-year-old optometrist Bahram Eynollahi as his health minister. He defended his pick as “a figure who can rally forces in the fight against coronavirus”.
The president said his proposed list of ministers contains both young and experienced figures, whose main characteristic is commitment to working diligently and fighting corruption.
“The lineup is not based on a specific organization or political party,” he said. “Any causal, relative and family relationship or pressure from any individual, current or party has absolutely had no role in the nomination and selection of ministers.”
Raisi has said his plan is to form a “popular government”. Its roadmap for transforming Iran, he said on Saturday, is to push for the “excellence of the Islamic and Iranian culture”, develop a “resistance economy”, improve the livelihood of the people especially low-income groups, develop international relations based on national interests, and promote Iran’s inspirational role in the Islamic world.
The resistance economy is a concept proposed by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in 2016 to leverage domestic capabilities in order to overcome gaps resulting from U.S. policies to restrict business with Iran and insulate the economy from sanctions or hostile foreign activity.
The president noted that short- and mid-term plans have been formulated to tackle the country’s problems.
“You are well aware of the situation,” he told the parliament. “Solving the problems of inflation above 44% declared by the Statistical Center or more than 55% of the Central Bank, a sharp devaluation of the national currency, a significant budget deficit, severe power shortages and hardships, high liquidity growth, high government debt and other issues is possible, but it requires a plan. It also needs an efficient force that can be transformative in any part of the country.”
President Raisi described Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, his pick for foreign minister, as a person with
sound knowledge and expertise in his major.
“Balanced foreign policy, development of neighborly relations, prioritization of economy in foreign interactions and activation of economic diplomacy will be high on the Foreign Ministry’s agenda,” he said.
Addressing the session, MP Karim Husseini said Iran is definitely at a critical juncture, and a high vote for President Raisi’s cabinet signifies the Islamic Republic’s power, and the authority of the establishment.
“The new administration is expected to address the concerns of the nation, especially those that have been expressed in recent years by Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the country’s sympathizers,” he said.
The president will have up to three months to name a replacement in case any of the proposed ministers fails to win the vote.
The formal sessions on the vote of confidence for the ministerial picks will reportedly continue for four days.