The final round of Iran's presidential election debates was held on Tuesday, centering on the theme of "Government Efficiency."
The debate, which addressed "cases on the table" and "people's expectations from the 14th government," marked a departure from previous formats by excluding expert questions.
Candidates were asked to outline their first actions if elected and provide timelines for achieving their goals.
However, the debate lacked direct exchanges between candidates or critiques of each other's positions, with most reading from prepared statements.
Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi promised immediate measures to alleviate public concerns alongside 14 basic solutions.
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani pledged to reduce petrol prices, tackle smuggling, and address energy imbalances and environmental issues.
He also reiterated his "golden subsidy" promise, claiming his plans would enrich over 90 per cent of the population.
Saeed Jalili focused on employment and rural development, describing villages as "opportunities" rather than areas of "deprivation."
Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian highlighted deep political divisions as the primary obstacle to problem-solving, arguing that even expert solutions become contentious issues like the 2015 nuclear deal due to internal conflicts.
In contrast, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf refrained from presenting economic plans.
He questioned why issues discussed over the past decades remain unresolved and warned other candidates against inadvertently supporting what he termed "the enemy's plan."
One of the surprises of the last debate of the 14th presidential election was Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi.
During this debate, he repeatedly mentioned the protests of November 2019.
In one part of his speech, Ghazizadeh claimed that Hassan Rouhani's government raised the price of petrol to three thousand tomans with "chaos" and "shedding the blood of youths" in November 2019, and he would not do such a thing.
He referred to the protests of November 2019, which occurred after the sudden increase in the price of petrol.
Hundreds of people were killed during the suppression of protests by the government.
In another part of his speech, Ghazizadeh Hashemi brought up the issue of November 2019 again, and by attributing Masoud Pezeshkian to Hassan Rouhani, he said that the deputy head of his staff was the commander of the "Internet Shutdown Headquarters."
In response to these attacks, Masoud Pezeshkian said, "Mohammed Javad Azari Jahromi emphasized that during his ministry, Saeed Jalili and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were in the Supreme National Security Council and the order to cut off the Internet came from there."
He added that Azari Jahromi was taken to court for trying to resist the decision to cut off the Internet in November 2019.
Mostafa Pourmohammadi, the secretary-general of the Association of Combatant Clerics and another candidate for the election, called the country's administrative structure defective and added, "The senior managers of the country are not aware of the aspects of the administrative system."
In another part of his speech, Pourmohammadi stressed that traditional approaches to financial corruption do not work in today's complex situation.
He added that he does not doubt the sincerity of other candidates about fighting corruption, but he sees inefficiencies in the fight against corruption that government agencies are unaware of.
Emphasizing that the problem of corruption is not unique to Iran, he said, "Corruption networks have become so widespread and powerful that they buy from the minister to news agencies."
Pourmohammadi stressed that journalists and "whistleblowers" should be given the opportunity to work to expand transparency.
Pourmohammadi began the concluding part of his speech by taunting Saeed Jalili and said, "I am neither in the shadows nor restless in power and authority."
He added, "I am neither an Ayatollah nor a doctor."
Pourmohammadi said that he is tired of two-sided words and double behavior.
In another taunt, he told Saeed Jalili that the treatment of some officials has created a world of lack of awareness and claims and an Iran of wasted opportunities.
Saeed Jalili was more confident in this debate, confident of the support of the leader of the Islamic Republic.
Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, in his speech on Tuesday, announced the characteristics of his candidate for the upcoming presidential elections.
"The best person is the one who, first of all, believes in the fundamentals of this revolution and this system from the heart and true," he said.
Jalili said in the debate, borrowing from the literature of the leader of the Islamic Republic, that Iranians should not be satisfied with the minimum, but should think about the peaks.
He also claimed that "some" want to discourage the country from jumping by "blackmailing."
In another part of his speech, Jalili explained by showing charts that different government circulars make the economy unpredictable and prevent the export of various agricultural products.
He also said that he was ready to implement 25 rulings on economic issues in the first month of his coming to power.
However, he did not explain the content of these 25 rulings.
The last debate of the presidential election was also held in the shadow of "martyrs of service."
At the beginning of the program, the host of the live TV debates announced that on Thursday, one day before the voting, a ceremony will be held to commemorate Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amirabdollahian, and Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah of Lebanon, will also give a speech.
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