What does the head of the Chamber of Commerce want from the government?

What does the head of the Chamber of Commerce want?

The recent controversy surrounding the Chamber of Commerce elections in Iran has escalated to the point where the government newspaper, Ebrahim Raisi, has accused the elected head of the Chamber of Commerce, Hossein Salahvarzi, of being involved in a coup. Meanwhile, members of the Chamber of Commerce strongly defend their election and consider the government’s interference in the affairs of this non-profit institution illegitimate.

Hossein Salahvarzi, the new head of the Chamber of Commerce in Iran, who recently won an absolute majority of votes in the elections, is now facing serious obstacles to taking the position of the private sector parliament. The government and the parliament have joined forces to not only remove Salahvarzi from this position, but also to install their approved candidate. But where did the problem start and what is the reason for the government and parliament’s opposition to Salahvarzi’s presidency?

Disqualification in the Chamber of Commerce

However, he was informed through a strange and short message that his eligibility to participate in the Chamber of Commerce presidential elections was not approved. This happened while it was said that 25 other people who had participated in the board elections had also faced extensive disqualifications.

Eligibility confirmed in 90 minutes

In light of this, it was planned to hold the elections with only three candidates, and the name of Salāhvarzī, the weapon holder, was not seen among these candidates. But on the morning of the elections, suddenly the situation changed, and the election officials announced that members could vote for Hossein Salāhvarzī to seize the presidency of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce. As a result, Salāhvarzī was able to obtain an absolute majority of 265 votes out of 426 votes and be recognized as the new president of the Chamber.

The government and the revolutionary parliament in one pot

However, an hour later, some members of parliament sent a letter to Abbas Aliabadi, the Minister of Industry of the Raisi government, and demanded that the government get involved in this case. According to the letter, the authors considered Salāhvarzī’s nomination invalid and requested the cancellation of the elections from the Minister of Industry. Please refer to the image below.

Immediately after the publication of this letter, some government officials questioned the qualifications of the new president of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce. Some also spoke about the need to quickly annul the election and labeled the support for women’s freedom movement as an act against national security.

What is the reason for the objections?

According to reports obtained by Iran Gate, security institutions rejected Hussein Salavati’s qualifications due to his support for the women’s freedom movement. Salavati, who had supported the protesters against the discriminatory laws of the Islamic Republic on social media during the recent wave of protests, came under severe attack from state media and government supporters. The Tasnim News Agency accused Salavati of supporting the overthrowers in a sharp and unconventional report, and deemed him unqualified to hold the position of president of the private sector parliament.

Salavati is a subversive and opportunist.

Tasnim has published images of his weapon tweets, which he supports what is called the 1401 sedition. These weapon tweets show a reaction to the killing of Mahsa Amini, Nika Shakeri, and the massacre of the people of Izeh. Another image shows a car in front of the Azadi Square mirror frame, with objects closer to what you see in the mirror.

Iran newspaper, in another report, has introduced him as a rent-seeker and an economic corrupter, presenting extensive accusations against his weapons. According to Iran newspaper’s claim, the new head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce has played a significant role in suppressing domestic production and has acquired many properties at low prices from the government or real individuals. However, the government newspaper, Ibrahim Raisi, has not yet published any documents to prove his strange claims, but weapons consider all of them as invalid.

Mr. Raisi, you have forgotten your promises.

The failure to fulfill the promises of Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi is not a new point. From constructing 4 million housing units in four years to controlling inflation and curbing the hands of corrupt individuals in the country’s economy, none of these promises have yielded any results. However, one of the lesser-remembered promises of the 13th government is the reduction of the government’s intervention in various sectors of the economy.

Interestingly, the first electoral meeting of Ebrahim Raisi’s campaign in 1400 was held in the Chamber of Commerce. In this meeting, he vigorously defended the free market economy and criticized the government’s interference in market affairs. Raisi promised the members of the Chamber of Commerce that in the future government, he would minimize government intervention and allow the private sector to thrive more than ever before.

But time has turned and in the final days of Khordad 1402, exactly 2 years after those days, Ebrahim Raisi gave such a lesson to the Chamber of Commerce that no one will forget. He emphasized that the consolidation of power not only cannot lead to economic liberalization, but it will also place the government and governance in an unaccountable position. In such a position, the government will not respond to any intervention in various affairs, including politics, economy, and culture, without the slightest answer to anyone.