Moderation and Development Party (Persian: حزب اعتدال و توسعه, romanized: Hezb-e E'tedāl va Towse'eh) is a political party in Iran. It is a pragmatic-centrist political party which held its first congress in 2002.[8]
The party is part of the faction called "modernist right", "moderate reformists" and "technocrats" that draws from upper-level bureaucrats, industrialists and managers.[9] It deals with a platform on modernization and economic growth rather than social justice, along with the Executives of Construction Party and the Islamic Labour Party.[10] The party has been allied with Popular Coalition of Reforms[7] and Pervasive Coalition of Reformists[11] in parliamentary elections and has had good relations with both Mohammad Khatami’s reform program and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.[2] In April 2017, the party joined the supreme policymaking council of reformists.[12]
Some sources branded them as part of the conservative camp in the 2000s[13][14][15] or reformists under the leadership of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.[16] In 2003, the party's spokesperson wrote in Hamshahri, a major Iranian newspaper, that the party regards itself among "true reformists", who are idealists, considering "social realities" interpreted with the "principle of moderation".[17]
According to Ali Afshari, the party prioritizes economic expansion and follows free market policies, however a minority faction represented by members, such as Bagher Nobakht, advocate institutionalized economy and maintain that the government should interfere to regulate markets to a limited extent.[18] They support limited political and cultural transformations, and believe political activism should only be within the frameworks of the constitution. The party also embraces Velayat Faqih.[18]