Economic Commission member Ibrahim Neko said Ahmadinejad’s only goal was to harvest votes for his own candidate Rahim Mashaei, who is travelling with him.
He told the state-run ISNA news agency: “Unfortunately the purpose of the president’s journey to the provinces is to collect votes for his own preferred candidate. His trip is for purely political reasons.”
Neko said of the presence of Mashaei on the tour: “This trip reveals Ahmadinejad’s objectives. It is very clear that Ahmadinejad is only trying to introduce his candidate to the people.
“The government should be getting on with its unfinished business running the country rather than making trips like this.”
Ahmadinejad has also been warned by Iran’s chief of police to call off a massive pre-election rally in Tehran’s Freedom Stadium on April 18.
Police chief Brigadier General Esmail Ahmadimoghdam said on Monday: “Given the limited sanitation, services and welfare facilities in the Freedom Stadium, and due to the presence of people of different ages, this seems to pose a lot of problems for the authorities.
“There is also concern that holding such an event would present the election process as unhealthy, be unfair on rivals and have a negative political effect.”
High ranking cleric Mehdi Amoli also warned Ahmadinejad last week not to use public money to support his own political goals.
State-run Raja news quoted Ayatollah Amoli – a close ally of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – as saying: “Those who use the government facilities on their behalf during the election, will be charged and prosecuted.”