Hassan Rouhani presidential campaign, 2013

Campaign staff and policy team

Policies

Rouhani questioned the formal policy of the government about different issues.

Economy

Rouhani considers the existing problems in the field of economy and other sectors due to incorrect management by the incumbent administration. He admitted with proper planning, production units can be activated and jobs can be created, but this needs stability because sometimes economic regulations of the country have changed 50 times in a single month.

Nuclear program

Rohani defended his track record as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator from October 2003 to August 2005. He said he moved war, sanctions, and the UN Security Council (resolutions) away from Iran. About his view on nuclear program and its relationship with economical problems due to sanctions he said:

"when a centrifuge is supposed to keep spinning while the entire country remains stagnant, meaning that we launch the single Natanz nuclear facility, but hundreds of our factories face problems, stop operating or work at a 20-percent capacity due to a lack of parts, raw materials and sanctions… that we do not approve of."

Rouhani has pledged more transparency about what he says is Iran’s peaceful nuclear enrichment program, aimed at producing fuel for nuclear reactors to generate electricity. He told Alsharq Alawsat:

”Iran has an exclusively peaceful nuclear program, which under international law is lawful and indisputable. A politically motivated campaign of misinformation has persistently attempted to cast doubts on the exclusively peaceful nature of this program. This campaign is being fueled and directed first and foremost by Israel, in order to divert international attention not only from its own clandestine and dangerous nuclear weapons program, but also from its destabilizing and inhuman policies and practices in Palestine and the Middle East. Regrettably, the Security Council has discredited itself by allowing the United States to impose this counter-productive Israeli agenda. If elected, I will reverse this trend by restoring international confidence . . . Nuclear weapons have no role in Iran’s national security doctrine, and therefore Iran has nothing to conceal. But in order to move towards the resolution of Iran’s nuclear dossier, we need to build both domestic consensus and global convergence and understanding through dialogue.""

Diplomacy with the United States

Hassan Rouhani promised more effective diplomacy with the West.. Rouhani said, in Alsharq Alawsat:

“The Iran–US relationship is a complex and difficult issue. A bitter history, filled with mistrust and animosity, marks this relationship. It has become a chronic wound whose healing is difficult but possible, provided that good faith and mutual respect prevail. . . . As a moderate, I have a phased plan to deescalate hostility to a manageable state of tension and then engage in promotion of interactions and dialogue between the two peoples to achieve détente, and finally reach to the point of mutual respect that both peoples deserve."

Treatment of Political Prisoners

Rouhani has promised to attempt to heal the severe rift between Green Movement liberals and Khomeinist hard liners by getting Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, leaders of the 2009 protest movement, released from house arrest. He said "I was Iran’s national Security Advisor for sixteen years during the administrations of Rafsanjani and Khatami. Therefore, I know how to deal with sensitive issues. If elected, I will do my best to secure the release of those who have been incarcerated following the regrettable events of 2009. I know that the constitutional powers of the president in Iran do not extend to the areas outside the realm of the executive branch of the system. However, I am quite optimistic that I can muster the necessary domestic consensus to improve the present situation of Mr. Mousavi and Mr. Karrubi."

Disqualification rumors

As Mehr news agency reported Rouhani might get disqualified prior to the upcoming presidential elections. The news agency announced that an anonymous source had told it that the reasoning of a possible disqualification was the disclosure of confidential information related to Iran's nuclear program during the televised debates. Another reason for a possible disqualification of Rouhani was the slogans that his supporters chanted, according to the source. The disqualification was thereafter denied by the Guardian Council.

Consensus of Reformists for Rouhani

Three days before the presidential election, Iranian moderates and reformists coalesced behind Hassan Rouhani; Including Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami and Molavi Abdul Hamid. This Consensus happened after the withdrawal of the only reformist candidate Mohammad Reza Aref. Aref withdrew on the advice of Mohammad Khatami so the electorate would all stand behind Rouhani, so there wouldn't be a split in the vote between the two and to greatly limit the chance of a conservative victory. This showed that the moderates and reformists had united together and had thrown all their support behind Rouhani, which the conservatives failed to do with a single conservative candidate.

Observers views on candidacy

"The more I hear about Rouhani, the more I'm encouraged that he might be able to be a spoiler in this election."

"He doesn't yet know how the other side will respond, mainly the United States and whether the United States will also show flexibility. Rouhani would want that kind of flexibility in order to be able to strike a deal."

Endorsements