Prominent clergy: Principalists would still be defeated if coalesced

Young journalists club

News ID: 1388
Iran » Iran
Publish Date: 10:23 - 17 June 2013
Tehran, YJC. Panahian has said that he thinks Principalist complaints by many who believe that the lack of union in the Principalist camp has caused their electoral defeat are baseless.

University and Islamic Seminary instructor Alireza Panahian said in an interview with Mehr "I think frets by many revolutionary forces over lack of union between Principalist candidates as a factor in Rouhani’s victory are baseless, because even if they made coalition the results would not have changed.”

"Each candidate received his special votes. There was a social wave formed in favor of Mr. Rouhani which increased his votes compared to other candidates,” he added.

Panahian provided comments on the reasons for the formation of such social wave and said "People’s economic problems and the fact that the Ahmadinejad administration showed much hostility toward Hashemi caused vast and serious public dissatisfaction with Ahmadinejad and made people vote for the opposite pole.”

He added "It was the same for the previous election. When people are generally dissatisfied with a person or political current they usually vote for the opposite one.”

Panahian considered Rouhani a traditional right-wing clergyman and believed that he was elected for his serious opposition to the incumbent administration.

He also believed that Jalili and Qalibaf met defeat because they chose not to use slander in their campaigns.


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