Lawmaker Says Iran Looks Like A ‘Garrison’ With IRGC Taking Posts

An Iranian lawmaker, Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi has criticized President Ebrahim Raisi for appointing more and more Revolutionary Guard officers to civilian positions.

Jahanabadi told the press in TehranJuly 2: "We, at the Majles helped Raisi to instil hope among the nation. But he has appointed a military officer, IRGC General Ahmad Vahidi as interior minister, another IRGC General Mohammad Reza Gholamreza as deputy interior minister for political affairs, and yet another IRGC General Yaqoub Alinazari as governor of my constituency in Khorasan Province. Honestly, it looks like a garrison!"

The Interior Minister and his deputy have previously worked in key security positions and the governor general of Khorasan Province was previously the commander of the IRGC in the province.

Speaking about a recent move in the parliament to replace deputy interior minister Gholamreza, the lawmaker said: "The problem is not about the minister or his deputy. The problem is that all the powers of the government cannot solve the people's problems."

Jahanabadi further charged that many state officials have no understanding of the people's living conditions and do not realize that they should work together to tackle problems.

Protesting about the Interior Ministry's order to local officials not to cooperate with lawmakers during their visits to their constituencies, Jahanabadi said: "In my constituency there is a shortage of fresh drinking water, and it is essential for me to work closely with the local governor to solve the problem. "

"Otherwise, if the ministry is concerned that I might take advantage of the occasion to further my election campaign, it should know that I may not be a candidate for the next election, and there is no guaranty that the Guardian Council will endorse my qualifications," Jahanabadi added.

He pointed out that "the deputy interior minister comes from a military background. He has previously served in Iraq with not much of a success. I am surprised that he has been appointed to a key civilian position. This will affect public trust in the Majles and the government."

Jahanabadi also said during his speech in the parliament Sunday that some 80 lawmakers have signed a motion to impeach the Interior Minister. He questioned the presidium's attempt to stop the motion, adding that if it is tabled, many more lawmakers will support it. Last week, around 200 lawmakers were said to back the impeachment motion.

Meanwhile, other lawmakers have also criticized Raisi for the way he is running the affairs of the state. Moeineddin Saeedi, the lawmaker from Chabahar charged that instead of solving problems, the Raisi manipulates statistics and figures to justify his government's failure.

"Raisi talks about a flourishing economy as if he is living in another country," the lawmaker quipped.

He added that "part of the executive has become indifferent to people's problems and tends to fabricate figures to justify its inaction. The people are feeling the crunch in their livelihood as inflation rises and prices go higher."

Another lawmaker, Jalal Mahmoudzadeh, predicted on Sunday that "An increasing number of Iranians are likely to turn to living in tents in the streets and parks as the problem of housing puts them under pressure with rising costs making it impossible for them to afford buying or even renting a place to live.

Rents have increases many fold in the past 5 years as the Iranian currency has lost most of its value and inflation has reached 70 percent with landlords refusing to rent properties at previous rates.

Meanwhile, referring to fabricated statistics that are being presented by government officials including the president, Mahmoudzadeh charged that "The government looks the people in the eye and lies to them."