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Al-Monitor – Amid speculation about an increase in gasoline prices in Iran, reports of a 70% surge in the salaries of parliament members have infuriated both public opinion and the media.
President Hassan Rouhani recently presented his budget bill to parliament for the next Iranian year (beginning in March) — a budget that faced serious criticism for dramatic increases in gasoline prices and the departure tax and a massive cut in cash handouts, among other measures.
An Iranian under the name MohammadMoayer2 tweeted Dec. 19, “Why should the salary of incompetent parliament members surge [when] their services don’t increase?”
Another user identifying himself as Mostafa tweeted Dec. 20, “Now I don’t know why these parliament members [have decided] to increase their salary when they don’t need it [at all]. They spent at least millions [of tomans] to become candidates and then members of parliament.”
While a number of parliament members have denied reports of an impending salary surge, a few have confirmed it could take place and spoken in its favor.
On Dec. 18, deputy parliament Speaker Masoud Pezeshkian said, “The issue of a 70% increase in parliament members’ income has been discussed, but it hasn’t been passed yet.”
Pezeshkian, a Reformist, added, “I state clearly that the parliament member salary is less than the [salary] of their drivers … and I can prove this.”
In reaction to these reports, Reformist parliament member Parvaneh Salahshouri said Dec. 18, “I have seen the reports, but I couldn’t believe it. I can’t accept this [surge in] salary while the people are under [financial] pressure. I will certainly oppose it if it turns out to be true. You can be sure that other parliament members will oppose it.”
She also said parliament members receive around 70 million Iranian rials per month, which is equivalent to $1,957 using the official exchange rate.
In reaction to the ballyhoo, parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said Dec. 19, “They say that the salary of parliament members has increased by 70%. This is 100% untrue.”
He added, “Those who once slammed populism are now entangled by new populism. What is this atmosphere [against parliament members] that you have created?”
In other news, Hamid Baghaie, who was vice president in charge of executive affairs when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was president, said Dec. 20 that he has been sentenced to 63 years in prison. In response, the judiciary denied Baghaie’s remarks, hinting that the time he is to spend in prison is less than 63 years. The Mizan News Agency, which belongs to the judiciary, quoted a jurist saying Dec. 20, “Basically, nobody can be sentenced to prison for 63 years based on Iran’s legal system. You should consult [jurists] before lying.” Moreover, Ali Akbar Javanfekr said Dec. 20 that a verdict has also been issued in his case; Javanfekr was a media adviser in the Ahmadinejad administration.
Of note, verbal clashes between Ahmadinejad and judiciary chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani have increased lately, with both sides accusing the other of various charges. Ahmadinejad believes the trials of his entourage and the verdicts issued against them are not fair and are politically motivated.
