Conservative candidate Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi told Mashregh News that his main opponent was Reza Khan, meaning that century-old practices of government were holding the country back, and he intends to change outdated practices. Ghazizadeh also distanced himself from the hard-line conservative Stability Front, obviously meant to counteract the public perception that he is an extremist.
Former minister Mohammad-Hassan Nami today announced he will run for President, revealing his electoral slogan “A Return to Ethics and Reliance on Domestic Capability”. Nami has held several roles in the regular army, including as military attaché in North Korea, and cited his decades of administrative experience when explaining why he was running. Nami is one of several candidates who are former members of the Ahmadinejad administration, including Rostam Ghasemi, Ali Nikzad and Fereydoon Abbasi.
Saazandegi Daily today reported that the Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, has sent a message to the main Principalist organisations setting out three conditions for him to run for President: Ebrahim Raisi will not run; an official announcement must be made stating that Qalibaf is in no way connected to the corruption case of Isa Sharifi; Principalists will also support Qalibaf’s candidacy in the next Presidium elections for the Parliament.
Reformist member of Parliament Mohammad Sadeghi said that “we need high legitimacy for the presidency, but unfortunately the current situation does not give a positive outlook”. Sadeghi believed the ambiguity around who is going to run, coupled with the dire economic situation, the stress of the cost of living and international tensions have made voters disillusioned.
The Expediency Council, which mediates disputes on law making between the Parliament and Guardian Council, met on Saturday to review the changes made by the Guardian Council on amendments to the Presidential Law which had failed to pass the Parliament last week. The Expediency Council identified two problems with the proposed changes which they deemed incompatible with the laws of the country, and returned the proposed changes to the Guardian Council for another revision. The amendments would limit presidential candidates to be between the ages of 40 and 70, and at this stage are unlikely to pass in time to affect this year’s election.
Member of Parliament Hossein Marashi said on Sunday that while a high turnout at the election might be desirable for the government, it might also become a double-edged sword. Pointing to the high degree of factionalism in Iranian politics, Marashi argued that a high turnout would be motivated by emotional participation which could lead to deeper divisions among the electorate after the result is announced. Marashi’s comments in some ways allude to the 2009 election, where a high turnout was followed by protests and violence.
Controversial candidate Saeed Mohammad said on Sunday that he will stand aside and support senior Principalist Ebrahim Raisi if he chooses to run. In a sign that Mohammad is trying to play down his maverick image and present himself as a team player, he said that he had been in conversations with one of the two main Principalist organisations on the issue, the Unity Council, and was waiting to hear from the other group, the Coalition Council. Regardless, he said that he was committed to a unified platform that would not split the conservative vote. Raisi is the preferred candidate of the Principalists but has resisted nominating himself so far.
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Mohammad Gharazi said in an interview today that the Iranian people have learnt from history and they will not welcome a military candidate. Gharazi pointed to history as a warning: “Everything that was achieved in the Constitutional Revolution was destroyed by the military coup led by Reza Khan, and everything that the people achieved in the 1940s was destroyed by the Zahedi coup”. Gharazi presents himself as an independent candidate opposed to factionalism and cliques.
Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian stated in an interview that he would not step down as candidate in favour of former speaker of the Parliament, Ali Larijani. Pezeshkian’s comments reflect a controversy among Reformists about whether Reformists should stand aside to support moderate candidates. In 2013, the Reformist candidate Mohammad-Reza Aref stood down under pressure from senior Reformist who back moderate candidate Hassan Rouhani. In this election, non-Reformists like Ali Larijani and Mohammad-Javad Zarif are being considered as the Reformist choice, which has renewed the split in the movement.
The Guardian Council today announced that it had approved amendments to the proposed changes to the Presidential Law. A proposed change to the law, aimed at limiting Presidential candidates to between the ages of 40 and 70, was rejected by the Parliament on Sunday. The law has been interpreted by some as aimed at keeping Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi from running this year. The amendments will now go to the Expediency Council to negotiate with the Parliament about the law’s future.