The eleventh election of the President of Iran was scheduled to be held on Friday, 14 June 2013. Registration for candidates took place from 7 May and concluded on 11 May 2013. After the registration step, registered candidates had to be vetted by the Guardian Council in order to be on the ballot. The Guardian Council finally announced the list containing the name of a reformist candidate, Aref.
Policies
Foreign policy
As a reformist presidential candidate, Mohammad Reza Aref, criticized the foreign policy of the Ahmadinejad government, vowing to improve Iran’s diplomatic relationships with other countries if elected.[citation needed]
Convention in Shahid Shiroudi Hall
Economy
Aref denounces interference of external forces such as military organizations into economical firms. In the first debate among candidates, he criticized the point and when the moderator asked about the main problem of economy of the country, Aref replied in an apparent indirect reference to the powerful Revolutionary Guard's extensive business interests:
"Interference of some military people and military-affiliated companies in the economy has limited space for participation."
