08 June 2020; MEMO: According to the semi-official Iranian news agency, Young Journalists Club, former Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, intends to run in the next presidential elections for 2021. The conservative Ahmadinejad who was held the post between 2005 and 2013 is hoping to have a third term in office, however presidential candidates must first gain the approval of the powerful Guardian Council of the Constitution.
The Council previously rejected Ahmadinejad’s candidacy in 2017 possibly linked to the falling out he had with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei several years earlier, although one member of the Public Relations Committee of the Republic Party has been quoted by the news agency as saying Ahmadinejad was assured that his new candidacy would be accepted.
As an early hint to his intention to re-enter politics, Radio Farda stated that Ahmadinejad started undertaking provincial visits during the year preceding the parliamentary elections that took place this February. However, Ahmadinejad’s office at the time denied his involvement in the election campaigns.
Ahmadinejad’s chances may also be spurred by the fact that his former appointees and others who support his views have a significant number of seats in parliament, two of them are vice-speakers of the legislature.
Current President Hassan Rouhani, who is seen as a moderate in comparison, is serving his second and final term and cannot run for a third consecutive term.
