Kanaani Moghaddam: I Doubt Reformists Will Reach a Joint List

A conservative political activist said: Our plan is for conservatives to reach at least one or two effective joint lists, and I doubt that even reformists or independent forces will be able to agree on a single joint list.

Hossein Kanani Moghadam, a political expert and the secretary of Iran's Green Party, in a conversation with Mehr reporter, regarding the council elections, said: Currently, there is uncertainty about the time of the council elections, and the changes that have been proposed and the various quotes that have been made in this regard have somewhat made it difficult to plan in this regard. The period from the 8th to the 15th of Aban was announced for holding the elections, but then it was changed and it was announced that the elections will be held by the end of the year and completely virtually. However, the National Security Council has not commented on this matter yet. This issue has caused uncertainty to some extent, but we continue our activities; This means that we hold regular meetings with political parties and organizations.

Referring to the activities of the fundamentalist Green Party regarding the council elections, he continued: The Green Party is also present in the "Voices of the Revolution" coalition, which includes about seven or eight political parties and organizations. We have also completed our list of candidates. The Secretary of the Voice of Revolution coalition is not a candidate for the election and is responsible for the secretary of this coalition. Almost every week, we hold various meetings in various parts of Tehran with various officials and discuss the existing issues. We also do various consultations.

Fundamentalists are likely to come up with a workable list or two

Referring to the activities of the fundamentalist parties, this fundamentalist political activist pointed out: Our plan is for the fundamentalists to reach at least one or two common, efficient and capable lists that are in line with the province and are compatible with the ideals defined by the revolution and our martyr Imam, so that we can enter the elections with such an approach. Of course, the number of these streams is not small, but it seems that they are moving towards a consensus to reach a single list. However, I doubt that even reformists or independent forces will be able to come up with a common list.

In relation to the priorities for the next city council, he said: Currently, an important issue for us, in addition to planning for activities in the council and determining the actions to be taken there, is to identify issues and problems that are a priority to solve in the current situation. Also, criticizing the performance of the current council and the performance of the mayor is one of our serious plans.

The city council will not help at all

Regarding the proportional elections, Kanani Moghadam said: Considering the proportionality of the elections in Tehran and the fact that the people vote for the lists, we must first of all encourage the people to participate politically and strengthen their presence, because the city council will not benefit us in the least, so we must explain the necessity of the purposeful, active and conscious participation of the people in the council elections. We have to do this, especially considering the enthusiasm among the people and the people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the revolution.

He added: After that, we have to explain our plans to the people. It means to tell people that elections should be program-oriented, not person-oriented. We are also following this issue and it seems that during this period, the lists that are introduced are mainly mayor-centric.

This political expert said: In my conversations with various currents, I raise the issue that a certain list or another possible list that wants to become mayor may have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of this approach is that people know this person and say that the team that is going to enter the arena with him are in harmony with each other and can move things forward. However, in proportional elections, the situation is not such that all members of a list necessarily belong to a particular faction or movement.

The country has the capacity to hold elections during the war

Kanani Moghadam, in response to a question regarding the priority of different political factions in the council elections due to the war conditions in the country, said: I believe that the elections should be postponed until normal conditions are reached in order to provide a suitable basis for participation. But considering that we have had the experience of holding elections during the war and during the time of the Imam and the Supreme Leader, I think there is such a capacity that we can hold the elections by adopting measures. However, it seems that the priority of the city council, considering the upcoming issues, is to be able to play an effective role in the field of service delivery.

Councils can play a very important role in the service field

He emphasized: We have a square in the street, a square at the foot of the launchers, and a diplomacy square. But in my opinion, councils can play a very important role in the service field and help to solve people's problems. These problems include both livelihood issues and the fight against corruption and social anomalies that exist. We should also consider issues related to urban development, housing and other various issues. The environment is also one of the important issues that should be considered.