Rouhani to Receive Less IRIB Coverage until Elections
The Assembly of Experts elections has turned into a rare occasion in which Iran’s president is also a nominee. As a result, Hassan Rouhani may not be able to give an annual speech on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
“We ask the president to respect the law,” said a Guardian Council spokesperson, regarding a possible prohibition against President Hassan Rouhani’s anticipated speech on February 11, during national celebrations on the 37th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. While saying the Guardian Council has not discussed the presidential speech, Mohammad-Mahdi Shirmohammadi declined to comment on whether the annual presidential address could be considered as a publicity violation.
The Guardian Council’s vague position is the freshest episode of a series of moves to restrain Hassan Rouhani from using public podiums for his campaign in the upcoming Assembly of Experts election.
This week, Iran’s state TV has already refused coverage for Hassan Rouhani’s remarks on the same basis. Iranian News Network abruptly broke live coverage of Rouhani’s speech during a ceremony held to commemorate martyrs of Iran’s nuclear program and honor the heroes of the nuclear agreement on Monday, according to Eghtesad Online. IRIB’s Public Relations Director-General, Davoud Ne’mati Anaraki, defends the approach, saying the organization has provided a rare opportunity to cover the event. “The INN has allotted 15 minutes of its 25-minute news program to the live coverage of the President’s remarks,” he said.
A day earlier, the IRIB had decided not to broadcast a speech given during the second national conference on “Moderation, Women and Development”, in which President Hassan Rouhani hailed women’s role in Iranian society, expressing hope for their further participation in various spheres. The coverage was removed from the IRIB broadcast schedule minutes before the speech. According to Nasim Online, the ‘national’ TV planned to cover the speech but decided against it when it became clear that the conference and the contents of the President’s lecture were electoral. To the conservative media in Iran, the move was a display of justice, preventing early campaigning.
Drawing a comparison among the three branches of the government, Ne’mati Anaraki said the administration’s share is much more than that of others. “This shows the INN is covering and broadcasting presidential programs in a very good manner,” he said.
“Some media are trying to create a rift between the state TV and the Administration in order to ruin the IRIB but we openly declare we are doing our best to accomplish our duties in different areas,” he reiterated.
“Let’s not forget that we are approaching elections and our friends will have their own considerations regarding the coverage of remarks made by the candidates. Mr. Rouhani is also running for the Assembly of Experts, so if he gives speeches in programs which are somehow considered partisan, we should not expect his speech to be fully covered,” he added.
A rift between Rouhani’s administration and the IRIB has been debated over the past two years and is now crawling back into headlines. In the critical fortnight before the twin polls, Rouhani is putting his popularity to the test in both fronts. He needs to come first in Tehran for the Assembly of Experts on the one hand, while he should be able to encourage a maximal turnout in the parliamentary election to prevent a victory for hardliner principlists. And that could be difficult in the absence of a nation-wide media.
The candidates running for the Assembly of Experts are allowed to start their campaigns on February 11, while the window for the parliament hopefuls will open a week later. However, they cannot use state-run media for their campaigns, except for the time each nominee is given to speak to the audiences and explains his plans. Unlike parliamentary and presidential elections in Iran, the Assembly of Experts hopefuls have no obligation to resign from other governmental positions.