Salahvarzi and His Pond
Salahvarzi and His Pond: Hossein Salahvarzi, the president of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, was removed from his position in a bizarre manner with much controversy last week. Although he denied the news on his X network account, it seems his time at the Chamber of Commerce has ended, and government interventions in Iran’s oldest non-governmental institution have taken effect.
The election saga held in the spring of 2023 at the Iran Chamber of Commerce finally reached its conclusion after 7 months of turmoil. The election resulted in Hossein Salahvarzi being chosen as the president of the Iran Chamber of Commerce. However, the Raisi government’s opposition to this election led to the end of Salahvarzi’s tenure as the head of this non-governmental institution. But what was the story, and what was the reason for these interventions?
Many of his opponents in the Chamber of Commerce claimed that the Ministry of Intelligence had rejected his qualifications. However, Salahvarzi made a controversial appointment in an attempt to win over his powerful opponents. But this move not only failed to soften the stance of the opposing side but also caused his supporters to withdraw their support, leaving Salahvarzi alone. This loneliness resulted in a less costly removal of this experienced economic manager from his new position.
An Unprecedented Victory in a Contentious Election
The election held in May and June 2023 at the Iran Chamber of Commerce was one of the most contentious competitions in the history of this non-governmental institution. The competition for the presidency of Iran’s private sector parliament turned into a severe political battleground. It is said that the Ministry of Intelligence disqualified a large number of candidates from participating in the election, with Hossein Salahvarzi being one of them.
However, the election took place, and the government could not see its preferred candidate, Younes Jaeleh, CEO of the Shirin Asal industrial group, dominate the election scene. Ultimately, Salahvarzi managed to win decisively with 264 votes. But this was just the beginning of the clashes, and the government showed from the start that it had no inclination to accept the election results.
Media Maneuver Against Salahvarzi
During the six months since the mentioned election, the government’s supportive media artillery and even the state broadcaster did not cease their hostility towards Iran’s private sector parliament. At times, even the news of Salahvarzi’s resignation was published by state media, including IRNA and even ISNA. But in all cases, the new president of the Iran Chamber of Commerce denied these reports and demonstrated his serious determination to continue in this position.
The matter did not stop at official media. The government, by spreading money in the social media space, incited some Twitter and Clubhouse activists against Salahvarzi and sought to intensify the conflicts. This trend continued to the point where last week, the state news agency IRNA and also Ali Bahadori Jahromi’s account on the social network X reported that Hossein Salahvarzi had been dismissed from his position as president of the Iran Chamber of Commerce by the Supervisory Council.
Salahvarzi and a Strategic Mistake
This situation led Salahvarzi, under intense political and media pressure, to take a strange and suicidal action, causing him to lose a significant portion of his supporters. In a controversial and unprompted decision, he appointed Sasan Shah Veysi as the secretary-general of the Iran Chamber of Commerce. This is while Shah Veysi is one of the prominent figures of the Amariyoun, the most radical faction within the Stability Front.
This strange move by Salahvarzi caused the media that had supported his election as the president of the Chamber of Commerce to suddenly withdraw their supportive hand from behind Salahvarzi. This is while Salahvarzi thought that with this move, he could win over his powerful opponents. But now, more than two months after this appointment, it has become clear that not only have his opponents in the Chamber of Commerce not softened regarding his continued work, but Salahvarzi has also lost his only supportive base, the non-governmental media critical of the government.
Farewell to Mr. President
The IRNA news agency published the headline ‘Salahvarzi is on his way out’ at a time when it is heard that Younes Jaeleh and his associates are preparing to take over the presidency of the Chamber of Commerce. Interestingly, unlike previous occasions when the government tried to remove Salahvarzi, this time, none of the independent and critical media of Raisi showed the slightest objection to this decision. An objection that could have increased the cost of his removal and, like previous times, prevented government interference in the internal affairs of this non-governmental institution.
However, independent economic and media experts and activists believe that Salahvarzi’s passive performance in dealing with the Stability Front and the faction associated with Ebrahim Raisi’s son-in-law could only silence some of his opponents in the parliament. This is because the revolutionary parliament members were seeking a share from the Chamber of Commerce, and the appointment of Sasan Shah Veysi facilitated their work. But naturally, Ebrahim Raisi’s government, which has shown no tolerance for the slightest opposition, would not be satisfied with anything less than Salahvarzi’s removal. Thus, Hossein remained with his pond, and the Chamber of Commerce was entirely handed over to the Raisi government.
