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TEHRAN - Prices are steadily rising, Iran's queues of jobless remain stubbornly long and investors are keeping a tight hold on their purse strings.
The perfect recipe, it would seem, for voters to punish President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his supporters in local council elections on Friday, the first nationwide vote since the presidential election last year.
But that's not the message from those struggling to make ends meet in Iran's sprawling capital.
"I support Ahmadinejad because he is a righteous person and it is not his fault if inflation is high. It has always been going up. It has no relation to Ahmadinejad whatsoever," said Ali Farrokhi, 20, who runs a stall selling electrical supplies.
Reformists, who have been routed from local councils, Parliament and the presidency after failing to fulfil promises to make a freer society, hope they can capitalise on Iran's economic woes and make a comeback in the council elections.
But with no reliable opinion polls in Iran and political affiliations are hard to interpret due to the absence of formal party structures, analysts say it is too soon for most Iranians to judge Ahmadinejad on the economy.
"Ahmadinejad has a lot of [economic] reform plans but they take a lot of time to bear fruit," said Sadeq Aghili, 27, who works in a gold shop where, he says, business has plunged.
Although some topics such as criticism of the system of clerical rule are taboo in the Islamic Republic, Iranians are usually quick to point the finger over economic mismanagement.
Ahmadinejad swept to office promising to share out Iran's oil wealth. And he has been doing just that at his regular rallies around the country.
Dressed in his trademark jackets - said to cost no more than US$25 ($36) - and viewed by many as an outsider battling against rich elites, the President promises jobs, new clinics and better sewerage facilities. Crowds flock to see him, filling sacks with letters with appeals for help finding a job or support for a sick child.
But some wonder how long it can continue.
"He has a huge cushion called oil money. You get to gloss over a lot of mistakes. I definitely know this is not sustainable," said Siamak Namazi, managing director of Atieh Bahar Consulting.
- REUTERS
