Ebrahim Raisi came to office more than two years ago with promises that were impossible to fulfill by his government. Regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei was trying to close any gap at the top of the regime to prepare himself to suppress any protest, which is why he appointed Raisi as president.
Raisi is entering his third year of his presidency while the living conditions of the people are declining daily due to his predatory policies.
It is possible to estimate people’s living conditions with several indicators, such as per capita income, inflation, unemployment, poverty, human development index and so on.
Inflation and high prices
On September 2, the regime-affiliated Etemad Online news website published an infographic and wrote, “According to the reports of the Statistics Center of Iran, the highest inflation rate of the last decade was recorded during the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi… The 13th government is a record holder of inflation in comparison to previous governments. Even during the time of war and various crises in the country, the inflation rate did not reach to such numbers.”
In most cities, bread, which is the main part of the diet of the middle and lower deciles of the society, has become up to 40 percent more expensive. The increase in the price of bread has had a direct effect on the price of other goods and services. The increasing inflation continues due to the predatory policies of the current president and there is no stopping it.
Unprecedented fall of national currency
The fall in the value of the national currency, along with the increasing growth of inflation rate and economic policies of the Raisi’s government, have made the people poorer and poorer.
The indiscriminate printing of money in the government continues at an incredible speed. Increasing liquidity has a direct effect on increasing inflation and is making people poorer. On September 1, the state-run Bahar news referred to this issue and wrote, “According to experts, the volume of currency liquidity created in the 24 months of Raisi’s government is equivalent to the same ratio since Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (19th century) to Hassan Rouhani’s governing period. What’s worse is that two-thirds of the said liquidity was created due to the imbalance of banks and corruption in the financial network.”
Printing unbacked banknotes and increasing liquidity will decrease the value of the national currency. This action has increased inflation and reduced the purchasing power of people in the middle and lower deciles of society.
The growing population below the poverty line
According to published statistics, the rate of population below the poverty line is more than 25 million. This is despite the fact that in February 2022, Raisi had issued an order to eliminate absolute poverty within two weeks. According to Mohammad Bagheri, a member of the economic commission of the parliament, the poverty line in Tehran has reached 300 million rials. The middle class of the society has been marginalized due to the growth of inflation and high prices, the increase in the cost of living and the high cost of rent.
The situation of the housing market
During his presidential election campaign Raisi promised building one million houses per year, which indicates he has no sense of numbers and statistics. Building one million houses per year means building at least one metropolis per year. Currently, the price of each square meter of building in Tehran has reached 700 million rials. In this way, the inflation in the construction industry has reached 200 percent in the past two years alone. The Majlis (Parliament) Research Center has reported a 950 percent increase in housing prices in the last five years.
The housing challenge, like other challenges that people are facing, will only end with a change in the country’s economic system. Considering the nearly 50 percent inflation for several consecutive years, we should not expect housing prices and rents to decrease.
On August 28, Asr-e Azadi website wrote, “Experts believe that as long as the economy and inflation are in state of critical situation, rental and housing market will continue to struggle.”
An explosive society
The past two years have shown that all the promises of Raisi have been unfounded. He did not come to reform the dying economy of the mullahs’ regime but to suppress protesters. His gestures to solve economic problems in this period were not even welcomed by his supporters. People are looking at their empty tables and growing poverty, and they will not listen to his absurd words. People know very well that better future and social and economic improvement will be fulfilled only when this regime is overthrown. The national uprising of 2022 and the participation of all segments of the society is a proof of this claim.
Source » mojahedin