There’s a former chief nuclear negotiator, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, a former interior minister among the final shortlist of six contenders in the running to be the next President of Iran.
Elections will be held on June 28 to pick Ebrahim Raisi’s successor, after the former President died in a helicopter crash in May.
The Guardian Council, a vetting body that consists of hardline clerics and jurists loyal to the Supreme Leader, shortlisted these six candidates from a pool of 80.
Five of these six are hardliners, one is a low-profile moderate candidate.
The outcome of this election is also expected to impact the decision on who will succeed Iran’s Supreme Leader Khomenei, who is 85 years old.
SAEED JALILI
Saeed Jalili unsuccessfully contested the 2013 Presidential election and withdrew from the 2021 race to support Raisi.
He is a former chief nuclear negotiator. He has also served for four years in Khamenei’s office.
MOHAMMAD BAQER QALIBAF
He is the current Speaker of the largely hardline Iran Parliament. He also has contested unsuccessfully twice for the President’s post and was forced to drop out the third time in 2017. He was a former Iran Revolutionary Guards commander and then held the post of mayor of Tehran for 12 years. He crushed the protests that took place during the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmedinijad in 2009. “We will carry on this path of improvement,” said Qalibaf, in a rally. “You (people) have to make an effort, and then it is on us to respond to your efforts- If I am lucky enough to be at your service and to never use excuses.”
MASOUD PEZESHKIAN
The only moderate in this race is Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist lawmaker. He is the only candidate backed by the pro-reform camp. He was barred from contesting the 2021 election. A physician by profession, Pezeshkian was health minister under reformist President Mohammad Khatami from 2001 to 2005 and has held a seat in parliament since 2008. He has voiced his criticism of the Islamic Republic for the non-transparency related to the death of Mahsa Amini, which triggered massive protests in Iran.
His prospects in this election depend on ensuring young, disillusioned voters who have stayed away from voting step out of their homes.
“Just the way we can talk to each other, we can also learn to talk to our neighbours and rest of the world, we can not fight everyone, we should not fight, we should not show aggression to others,” he told the press.
MOSTAFA POURMOHAMMADI
Mostafa Pourmohammadi is the only cleric in this race. He was the interior minister during the first term of hardline former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from 2005 until 2008.
A 2005 Human Rights Watch report listed Pourmohammadi’s alleged role in the execution of hundreds of political prisoners in the Iranian capital in 1988.
ALIREZA ZAKANI
Tehran’s conservative mayor Alireza Zakani was disqualified from running in 2013 and 2017.
Zakani has said on the campaign – “We do not have a problem with the negotiation; we welcome it, “the West” is not only America, and ” the West” is not only a few specific European countries; West has a general concept, it has glory, it has conditions, and we are committed to reciprocal respect.”
AMIRHOSSEIN GHAZIZADEH-HASHEMI
Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi is a conservative politician, and incumbent Vice President.
Former hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been third time unlucky as he’s been disqualified from contesting this election, after being kept out in 2017 and 2021.
Former speaker Ali Larjiani and Vahid Haghanian, a former commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, have also been barred from standing.
Dissidents have urged people to boycott these elections. Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Laureate who is in prison, has said she will not vote in what she calls a ‘sham’ election. Voting percentages have seen a fall as disillusioned youngsters have been staying away from the polls and that’s expected to be the case this time too.
