Presidential candidate says voting no formality in Iran

A candidate in the forthcoming Iran’s presidential election says voting is not a matter of formality in the country but is, in fact, very real.

“Today, the country needs a manager that has managerial experience,” Hojjatoleslam Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi said in a state radio interview on Monday.

He said elections must be held free from "customary political affiliations, groupings and spats."

Raeisi said he did not intend to undermine the efforts made by previous administrations and vowed to create more jobs and fight poverty if elected.

The presidential hopeful also said that he planned to fight corrupting structures in the country and fix them.

The president must counter corruption wherever it exists in the administration and within state firms and organizations, Raeisi added.

He emphasized that his intention to fight economic problems in the country compelled him to enter the presidential race.

“Despite the efforts made by all the [previous] administrations, we are faced with a situation that is not tolerable to anyone. A change must be made in favor of the people in the social and economic areas,” Raeisi said.

Raeisi, the current custodian of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH) in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad, threw his hat in the ring for the 12th presidential contest on April 14.

Iran will simultaneously hold the 12th presidential election and the 5th City and Village Councils Elections on May 19. Some 55 million Iranians are eligible to vote for a new president in what is expected to be a close race.

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