Hamid Melikoglu, Voice of America, December 25, 2024
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| Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian (right) and First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref (left) |
Iran's First Vice President, Mohammad Reza Aref, claimed on Wednesday, December 25, during a meeting of the Supreme Administrative Council, that the current government believes that the management powers of provinces should be granted to local officials of each province and that the powers of governors should be increased.
According to the official news agency IRNA, Aref also stated that the government intends to implement a process to reduce its executive and administrative role in the economic, social, and service sectors.
The Vice President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, said that the government has taken steps to reduce bureaucracy, but more significant programs could be implemented in this area.
Aref also addressed the issue of moving away from a centralized administrative system in the country and stated that the government intends to "delegate executive tasks to governors" for this purpose.
"I am not giving slogans," emphasized Aref, stating that, according to the 14th government’s view, "the governor is the president of the province." He also mentioned that the current government "believes in this matter."
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| IRNA - Supreme Administrative Council meeting |
According to this high-ranking official, during the presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian, governors were granted the authority to make decisions concerning their provinces, except for matters related to political, security, and defense areas. He also stated, "According to the government’s view, the governor should have a voice and decision-making power in the province, and a small parliament should be formed in the province."
“We have told governors to present their proposals to us regarding the transfer of governmental powers to the provinces. Of course, we know that each province has different conditions, and the conditions of a border province that must form agreements and maintain relations with neighboring countries are different from other provinces in the center,” said Aref.
The 73-year-old politician from the reformist wing of the Iranian government also mentioned that the government plans to delegate city matters to municipalities, adding, "The city council should be the legislative body of the city."
He noted that "in the early days of city councils [during former president Mohammad Khatami’s time in 1999], there were great hopes for the powers of the city council, but now the city council is not in the expected legislative position."
He added, "The government believes that the city council should pass laws for the city, and members of parliament should no longer deal with issues like water, electricity, and city and village problems; they should think at the national level."
"Unfortunately, in laws and regulations, we mainly feel a centralized approach, and the powers that the governor should have are being demanded by the Guardian Council from the minister, and the minister is held responsible for everything. This issue should be resolved in a certain way, and now is the right time to transfer these powers to the provinces," said Pezeshkian’s first vice president.
Mohammad Reza Aref has called for moving away from political centralization, granting legislative powers to city councils, and increasing the powers of governors. Earlier, on September 3, President Masoud Pezeshkian talked about the discrimination between regions, emphasizing the importance of reducing centralization in administration.
In recent years, governors of provinces in Iranian Azerbaijan, especially the governor of East Azerbaijan, have criticized the lack of powers.
In Ibrahim Raisi's government, the appointed governor, Abidin Khorram, complained in a speech in March 2022 that the execution of infrastructure projects and the use of their budgets were entirely in the hands of the ministries, and he stated that governors had no powers and none had been transferred to the provincial governments.
Earlier, during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, the governor of East Azerbaijan, Mohammad Reza Purmohammadi, said in February 2020 that there was "a mismatch between the authorities and responsibilities of leaders, particularly in East Azerbaijan," and stated, "The governor is the highest representative of the government and should have the president's powers at the provincial level, but Tehran decides for all provinces, and this is unacceptable."
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| Former governor of East Azerbaijan, Mohammad Reza Purmohammadi |
These statements from appointed governors show that the level of centralization in the country's political structure, especially in border provinces, is very high, and these governors are struggling to manage affairs because of this structure.
The First Vice President of President Masoud Pezeshkian's government’s talk about the importance of decentralization comes at a time when political activists in Iranian Azerbaijan are calling for greater cultural and political rights in regions populated by ethnic minorities, particularly Azerbaijanis.
Some political observers, however, emphasize that there is little optimism regarding political reforms in Iran, noting that during more than 40 years of the Islamic Republic's rule, significant reforms have either not been implemented or have been unsuccessful.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İran hökuməti vilayətlərdə səlahiyyətlərin artırılacağını iddia edir