Unity Council will not Endorse Larijani

Manouchehr Mottaki of the Unity Council, a major organisation of the Principalist movement, has said his organisation will definitely not select Ali Larijani as a candidate for this election. Mottaki was responding to rumours, and said with all respect to Larijani, “we in the Unity Council have reached the conclusion that [Ebrahim] Raisi is the right candidate, and we hope that he will make an announcement soon”. 

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Consensus is for Raisi in the Unity Council

Manouchehr Mottaki, who heads the Unity Council, a powerful Principalist umbrella group, said that there was a consensus in the organisation in supporting Ebrahim Raisi. Mottaki acknowledged that Raisi has not yet nominated, and may not, in which case the Unity Council will make a decision from the other pool of candidates. However, Mottaki added that “if we apply the model of 2013, our defeat is certain”, while the model of 2017 worked better. This is most likely a reference to the large field of Principalist candidates in the 2013 election splitting the conservative vote. 

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Mottaki: Ebrahim Raisi is the Preferred Candidate for Principalists

Manouchehr Mottaki, the former foreign minister and current spokesperson for the Unity Council of Principalists, stated that Ebrahim Raisi was still the preferred candidate for the Principalist faction. Mottaki added that his organisation, the Unity Council, was also in talks with several other declared candidates in order to judge their ideological suitability. Raisi is yet to announce his candidacy and has previously stated that he would not run.

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