Views of a key Ahmadi-Nejad ally

FT.com -- Ali Akbar Javanfekr runs Iran’s state news agency, Irna, and its affiliated paper, Iran daily. These are excerpts from a recent interview with the Financial Times.

“The supporters of Mr Ahmadi-Nejad are both ‘principalists’ in a sense that they are committed to the principles of the Islamic revolution and are reformists for carrying out reforms notably in economic policies. But there is no link between them and the principalists who are known as an organised political group.

“We are not a ‘deviant current’ and say it is an illusion and baseless.

“Our understanding is that the ‘deviant current’ is raised to prevent the thinking of Mr Ahmadi-Nejad from spreading and having impacts on other power centres such as the legislative body.

“Mr Ahmadi-Nejad’s social base is very strong which is reflected in his provincial visits.”

On the upcoming election

“The government will not intervene in the parliamentary poll and will not support any candidates. It will only try to hold a fair and healthy election.

“Some hopefuls have contacted the Iran daily newspaper claiming they were disqualified because of their support for the president. But we do not know how many face disqualification because of their support for Mr Ahmadi-Nejad.

“Mr Ahmadi-Nejad’s thinking is based on reviving values of the Islamic revolution such as strengthening contacts between people and officials [and] fair distribution of wealth by carrying out development projects in deprived areas.

“Mr Mashaei [Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei – the head of the president’s office] has no role in the upcoming election and contrary to certain claims has not reached out to the US.

“The election results cannot be predicted now.

“Our impression is that all the propaganda against the government has made people more aware and sensitive to the election. People will not vote for a list of candidates this time, rather will choose the members of parliament one by one.

“If there is a competitive and healthy atmosphere, people will vote for those who support the thinking of Mr Ahmadi-Nejad.

“The turnout in the parliamentary poll will depend on how competitive the election is going to be. We hope candidates are not disqualified without logical reasons or for political purposes.

“There will not be any tensions in the streets before or after the election.

“The embezzlement charges were more propaganda by opponents to weaken the government but people do not blame the government.”

On the supreme leader

“The supreme leader is the main supporter of the government, while the president is loyal and obedient to him. The government has achieved its successes thanks to its allegiance to the leader.

“There is no confrontation between the president and the supreme leader.

“There is no such competition [between the supporters of the president and the supreme leader] in the parliamentary election.

“They [anti-government principalists] move ahead of the supreme leader and even try to make the leader follow them which he does not do anyway.”

On the economy

“Iran’s economy is strong and the recent fluctuations in the currency market have nothing to do with the government’s policies, rather they are caused by the managed psychological atmosphere and following the US and European sanctions.”

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2012.