Rouhani faces economic and social challenges as he begins second 4-year stay in office
THURSDAY FEATURE
Iran’s “Vicious Crackdown on Human Rights Activists” — Amnesty
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has been inaugurated for a second term.
The Supreme Leader formally endorsed Rouhani in a Thursday ceremony. The President will be sworn in before Parliament on Saturday.
Rouhani won re-election on May 19 by a surprisingly large margin over conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi, who was supported by the Supreme Leader’s office and Revolutionary Guards.
In his acceptance speech today, Rouhani focused on “social justice” and “poverty alleviation”. He said the Government will strive to “uproot poverty and corruption, contain inflation, and [facilitate] economic growth”, and — alluding to the continued difficulties in getting foreign support for Iran’s economic recovery — he called for
more investment and access to advanced technologies.
Implicitly challenging both new and ongoing US sanctions, he said Iran has paid the price for its independence but will stand against enemy attempts to isolate the nation.
