Avoiding to adopt extremist political and economic positions, categorized as a pragmatic, moderate, realist, and centrist in the political realm, campaigning for "Prudence and Hope" (tadbir va omid), advocating for normalcy, attempting to merge the Islamic Republic's ideology, principles with its economic and national interests, has predominantly defined President Rouhani, the "Diplomatic Sheikh."
With all the aforementioned promises, coupled with years of a deteriorating economy, high inflation, double-digit unemployment rate, severe economic and political sanctions, as well as domestic crack down, human rights violations and lack of freedoms (assembly, press, and speech), the expectations from President Hassan Rouhani were high domestically, regionally and internationally.
Last year at this time, President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist government insider, took the oath and assumed the office of the presidency after he was unexpectedly elected as president of the Islamic Republic by winning more votes than the five other hardliner candidates put together.
Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. ---George Orwell
