Azerbaijan, Baku, May.29/ Trend F.Eminli
Poverty and wealth is obvious in the southern port city of Assaulyeh, the candidate for upcoming presidential elections in Iran, Mohsen Rezaei, said on Wednesday.
The city is located on top of huge gas and oil resources, but the residents of the city are living in a poor condition, Rezaei explained, the IRIB News Agency reported.
Assaluyeh industrial zone, located in south of Iran, is the host of major upstream and downstream oil and gas projects. Iran's largest gas field, the South Pars, is also located in the zone. The gas field holds about half of Iran's 33-trillion cubic meters reserves of gas.
Talking to his supporters in Assaluyeh, Rezaei went on to note that his plan is to develop the economic situation of the city's residents.
"The country has been selling oil for a century, but still some people are living in poverty," he said.
In Iran, urban families with monthly income lower than 9.46 million rials ($786.3) are considered to live under the poverty line. T he government doesn't announce the official statistics of families under the poverty line, but unofficial statistics say that 20 to 45 percent of Iranian families live below that line.
Rezaee has repeatedly highlighted his plans to fight poverty and unemployment. He also said that corruption, bribery, and prejudice are rampant in the country.
Based on the latest official report which was released on May 28, Iran's unemployment rate stands at 12.2 percent.
Rezaei said earlier that Iran's economic problems have been created due to mismanagement of Ahmadinejad's government.
Rezaei unveiled the main plans of his campaign platform for the upcoming election on Tuesday.
The independent candidate said that his future administration will turn the southern province of Hormuzgan into a special economic zone, the ISNA News Agency reported.
He also argued that the fall in the value of the national currency shouldn't have happened in the first place, adding it is possible to fix the economy and restore the value of rial through proper planning. He, however, warned that it cannot happen overnight.
Improving living standards of people alongside with maintaining national sovereignty is the political doctrine of Rezaei, the Tabnak website reported earlier.
According to the International Monetary Fund, Iran's economy shrinked by 1.9 percent in 2012. The value of the country's current, the rial, also decreased by 40 percent in 2012. According to the Central Bank of Iran, the country's inflation was above 30 percent in the previous year.
Mohsen Rezaei is the former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the current Secretary of the Expediency Council.
Rezaei has repeatedly said in his speech that he will improve the economic situation in Iran and will lead the country to prosperity. He said that he knows a way to solve the country's problems and will be able to address them.
Iran will hold the 11th presidential elections on June 14, 2013. The voters will choose the successor of the current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is not able to participate in the elections for the third term according to the country's constitutional laws.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in the national elections and the Guardian Council vets the candidates for qualifications.