IRNA � No government will be successful if it is not open to criticism from the opposition parties, a candidate for the forthcoming presidential election said here on Friday afternoon.

During a live televised debate, Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim said that a government can be successful after receiving criticism from various parties, NGOs and cultural and political institutes.

Aqa-Mirsalim, one of the six presidential hopefuls, said that if any government does not receive criticism, it means that people have not taken part in the country�s affairs.

Talking of the July 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the presidential candidate said that the international agreement made the world hear the voice of innocence from Iranian nation.

�We are not after the nuclear weapon,� said Aqa-Mirsalim, adding Iran is seeking the peaceful use of nuclear technology.'

The presidential hopeful further stressed that Iran will never give up its peaceful nuclear purposes.

About ties between the three branches of the government in the country, Aqa-Mirsalim called for close cooperation between them.

The 12th presidential election is slated for May 19, 2017.