Iran's President-elect Hassan Rohani: Consultative instead authoritative economy

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 8/ Trend, N. Umid/ The government should give a chance to the private sector to take a share in the economic management of achieving privatisation goals, Iran's President-elect Hassan Rohani said during a meeting with board members of the Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industries & Mines (ICCIM), Donya-e-eqtesad daily reported. Coordination between the next administration's economic team and consultation with economists were the main demands of ICCIM members according to Rohani.. The report indicated ICCIM can negotiate with those chambers of countries which have imposed sanctions against Iran in order to overcome them, members of the ICCIM stated at the meeting. Rohani will take office in a few weeks. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on July 4 that the privatisation sum in Iran prior to his presidency (1979 to 2004) totalled 28 trillion rials, but this figure during his two-term presidency was 1,119 trillion rials. Each USD during Ahmadinejad's first round presidency (2005-2009) was averaging below 12, 000 rials, whilst during 2012 it reached 36, 500 rials. Ahmadinejad's critics say the huge amount of privatised entities during his government was delivered to semi-official organisations, such as the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). President Ahmadinejad's legacy for Rohani includes a 1.9 per cent economic contraction in 2012, resulting in over three million unemployed, 40 per cent closed industry unions, $400 billion debts, a $60 billion deficit in last year's budget based on the USD's official rate in Iran, 32 per cent inflation, halved crude oil export and a drop in the value of the national currency by 40 per cent in 2012, alongside $100 billion worth of assets blocked by foreign countries. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az