Senior cleric Gholam-Reza Mesbahi-Moghaddam, a member of both the Expediency Council and Assembly of Experts, said that the delay in Chief Justice Ebrahim Raisi on announcing his candidacy is due to him waiting for formal approval from the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi is the clear favourite to win the election, and is rumoured to be likely to announce his candidacy on Eid al-Fitr, the official end of Ramadan, which takes place this coming Thursday, in the middle of the nominations period.