Both Ahmadinejad and Mousavi have promised totransfer large chunks of the economy to the private sector. The difference between them is over who should benefit from such a transfer.
Mousavi, backed by former President Hashemi-Rafsanjani, reputed to be the wealthiest man in Iran, wants the transfer to benefit the long-established network of businessmen-cum-mullahs and their traditional bazaar partners. That would be the continuation of a policy initiated by former President Muhammad Khatami at the start of the privatization process in 2004.
Ahmadinejad is determined to fight the mullah-bazaar business coalition, which he labels “the black Mafia”, and has threatened to bring “the ring-leaders” to justice on charges of corruption.
However, that does not mean that Ahmadinejad wants to create a genuine private sector
or to give the masses of the poor a fairer share of national income.
