Iran’s Guardian Council has been given five days to vet the
candidates running for presidency after candidate registration for snap
elections came to an end on Monday.
Over 80 people have been nominated including one former
president, one former Parliament speaker, 38 former and current lawmakers, 13
ex-ministers, and three current ministers. At least four women are among the
registered candidates.
The election’s winner will replace Ebrahim Raisi, who
embraced martyrdom during a helicopter crash in Iran’s northwestern mountainous
region on May 19, 2024.
In this report, we take a look at the most prominent
figures who have signed up to contest the June 28, 2024 presidential
elections.
Mohammad
Baqer Qalibaf
Qalibaf has dedicated decades to serving the Islamic
Republic in various roles. He is a veteran and commander of the Iran-Iraq war,
a former police chief, and former Tehran mayor. Since 2020, he has held the
position of parliament speaker. He was elected speaker again in the new
parliament last week.
Considered a neo-conservative, Qalibaf has run for president multiple times. In
2005, he secured over 4 million votes but lost in the first round. In 2013, he
came in second place with 6,077,292 votes, losing to Hassan Rouhani. Qalibaf
withdrew from the 2017 elections in support of Ebrahim Raisi. It is anticipated
that Qalibaf will be qualified to run for president for a 4th time.
Saeed
Jalili
Jalili, a well-known conservative, held the position of
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013. He
currently serves as a member of the Expediency Council.
Jalili holds a significant role in Iran's foreign affairs.
He served as Iran's lead nuclear negotiator and previously held the post of
Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs.
Jalili has twice vied for the post of president. In the 2013
elections, he finished third, garnering 11.31% of the votes. While he initially
fielded candidacy for the 2021 elections, he later withdrew in favor of Ebrahim
Raisi. He is expected to be qualified to run for the post.
Ali
Ardeshir Larijani
Larijani has tried to appeal to both ends of Iran’s
political spectrum in the past decades. He was the Secretary of the Supreme
National Security Council from August 2005 to October 2007. He also served as
parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020. Since then, Larijani has been a member of
the Expediency Council, where he served from 1997 to 2008.
Larijani ran for president in 2005 without much success. He
registered for candidacy in 2021 but was disqualified by the Guardian Council.
He seems to be hoping to face a different fate at the vetting stage this
time.
Ishaq
Jahangiri
Jahangiri held the position of Vice President in Hassan
Rouhani's government from 2013 to 2021. Before that, he served as the minister
of industries and mines, the governor of Isfahan Province, and a member of
parliament.
A well-known reformist, Jahangiri ran for the presidency in
2017. Many observers believed that his decision to enter the race was a
strategic move to bolster Rouhani during the debates as he withdrew before the
voting began.
Looking ahead to the 2024 presidential elections, Jahangiri,
seen as a technocrat, may face challenges in gaining approval from the Guardian
Council due to past embezzlement and corruption allegations against his close
family members.
Alireza
Zakani
Zakani has served as the mayor of Tehran since 2021. He was
a member of the parliament from 2004 to 2016 and again from 2020 to 2021,
aligning with conservative political views.
Despite announcing his candidacy for the presidency in 2013 and 2017, Zakani
was twice disqualified by the Guardian Council. In the 2021 presidential
election, he initially ran but later withdrew in favor of Raisi.
Known for his fierce criticism of opponents during the 2021 presidential
debates, Zakani earned the nickname "revolutionary tank." Observers
speculate that there is a decent possibility the Guardian Council will approve
his candidacy for the June 28 elections.
Abdolnaser
Hemmati
Hemmati held the position of central banker from 2018 to
2021. Prior to this role, he served as the vice president of the Islamic
Republic of Iran Broadcasting from 1989 to 1994, and as the chief of the
Central Insurance of Iran from 1994 to 2006 and again from 2016 to 2018.
Hemmati finished in third place during the 2021 presidential
election. He is close to pro-reform groups.
A trained economist, Hemmati has received both backlash and
praise for his time at the central bank. There is not much reason to believe he
won’t be able to run for president a second time.
Mohammad
Mehdi Esmaili
Esmaili currently serves as the Minister of Culture and
Islamic Guidance, a position he has held since August 25, 2021. His extensive
background encompasses roles such as deputy governor of Isfahan, director
general of Supervision and Evaluation of IRIB Programs, and chairmanship of the
Cultural and Social Commission of the Center for Strategic Studies of the
Presidency.
Esmaili has been actively engaged in social and cultural
activities for many years, with his involvement dating back to the 1990s when
he began his cultural activities as an editor-in-chief of cultural
publications.
The minister says he will continue Raisi’s endeavors if
approved to compete for the presidency.
Mehrdad
Bazrpash
Bazrpash is a conservative politician and the current
Minister of Transport and Urban Development, assuming office in December 2022.
He held the position of President of the Supreme Audit Court from 2020 to
2022.
Bazrpash has also served as a member of the Parliament and
the CEO of two of Iran's largest automakers, SAIPA and Pars Khodro.
The minister was one of the youngest figures registering for
candidacy last week. Though this is the first time he has attempted to
run for president, analysts believe Bazrpash’s extensive career makes it highly
possible that he will become an official candidate for the 2024 presidential
elections.
Masoud
Pezeshkian
Pezeshkian is a reformist politician and cardiac surgeon. He
currently represents Tabriz, Oskoo, and Azarshahr in the Parliament, where he
served as First Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2020. He previously served as
Minister of Health from 2001 to 2005 under President Mohammad Khatami.
Pezeshkian has often clashed with conservative politicians.
Some of his remarks have been controversial and later found to be baseless.
While Pezeshkian is respected for his expertise in
healthcare and education, observers speculate that his history of bipartisan
conflict and lack of experience in operational fields may hinder his approval
by the Guardian Council to run for the presidential post.
Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad
Ahmadinejad was president from 2005 to 2013. Before
his presidency, he served a brief two-year term as the mayor of Tehran. He is
now a member of the Expediency Council. Ahmadinejad has tried hard to stay in
the spotlight since his presidential term ended.
Despite being considered a principlist by most, Ahmadinejad
has adopted conflicting stances over the years. It is highly anticipated that
his competence for the elections will not be approved. This prediction is based
on the Guardian Council’s previous disqualification of Ahmadinejad when he
attempted to run for president in 2021.
Abbas
Ahmad Akhoundi
Akhoundi served as the Minister of Transport and Urban
Development from 2013 to 2018. He first entered government in 1993 as the
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, making him one of the youngest
ministers in Iran's modern history.
Akhoundi is a well-known pragmatist politician, but his fame
mostly comes from controversies. During his tenure as the housing minister, he
faced impeachment three times and submitted his resignation on three occasions.
Critics have condemned him for his "liberal economic views" and for
allegedly showing little concern for the less fortunate. Analysts believe he
has little chance of gaining the approval of the Guardian Council in the
looming presidential elections.
Mohammad
Shariatmadari
Shariatmadari is a reformist figure who has held various
ministerial positions in the government. He served as the Minister of
Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare and later as the Minister of Industry
from 2017 to 2018. Additionally, Shariatmadari was the Minister of Commerce
from 1997 to 2005 during President Khatami's administration.
Shariatmadari played a crucial role in managing Iran's
relations with several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar,
Kuwait, Portugal, Spain, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, the Philippines, and Thailand
for eight years.
In 2013, Shariatmadari ran for presidency but ultimately
withdrew his candidacy in support of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani before the
voting commenced.
Ali
Nikzad
Ali Nikzad is a conservative currently serving in the
parliament. He served as deputy parliament speaker in the previous. He was
elected deputy speaker in the new parliament.
Nikzad has an extensive background in executive management,
having held positions such as Minister of Transport and Urban Development,
Acting Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Acting Minister
of Roads and Transportation, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the
Tadbir Construction Development Group. He has also served as the governor of
Ardabil.
Nikzad has not tried to run for the presidency in the past.
He is expected to be confirmed to contest the presidential post.
Sowlat
Mortazavi
Mortazavi is a conservative politician who currently serves
as Minister Labor and Social Welfare. He has held several high-ranking
positions in government, including Vice President for Executive Affairs, Mayor
of Mashhad, Mayor of Birjand, and head of Election Headquarters.
In June 2017, Mortazavi was suspended from his position as Mayor of Mashhad and
all other political offices after he prevented an audit of the Mashhad
municipality.
Analysts believe that even if Mortazavi is approved by the Guardian Council to
run for president, there is little chance that he will ultimately manage to
take office.
Amir
Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi
Seyyed Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi currently serves as
the Head of the Martyrs Foundation and Veterans Affairs, a position he has held
since 2021. Qazizadeh holds conservative views and was appointed as vice
president when President Raisi took office in 2021.
Qazizadeh has a distinguished career in politics and
medicine. He has served as a representative of Mashhad and Kalat in four terms
of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and was an ENT surgeon before entering
politics.
Qazizadeh took part in the 2021 presidential elections and
is anticipated to become an official candidate for the second time this
year.
