Ahmadinejad tries again: his candidacy for the next presidential elections in Iran has been made official. But he risks another failure

A new candidate is added to the race for early presidential elections in Iran. Not a new name, but rather an old acquaintance of the country: Mahmud Ahmadinejad, already president for eight years from 2005 to 2013, has made his candidacy official in the vote to be held on 28 June, called following the death of Ebrahim […]

In the race for Presidential Elections anticipated in Iran a new candidate is added. Not a new name, but an old acquaintance of the country: Mahmud Ahmadinejadformer president for eight years from 2005 to 2013, has made his candidacy official in the vote to be held on 28 June, called following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024. His presence, however, depends on the decision of the Council of Guardians: Ahmadinejad had already been disqualified for the 2017 and 2021 elections and, due to his ultra-conservative positions considered polarizing even by the ayatollah Ali Khameneicould be excluded this time too.

Poised – Rumors regarding the candidacy had begun to circulate last week when, as reported by Iran International, Ahmadinejad had come forward like this: “Rapid changes are taking place, not only in Iran but in the world. I hope we see desserts soon necessary changes“. Then the final announcement presented to the Ministry of the Interior on the morning of June 2: “I am confident that all the country’s problems can be solved by making the most of the national capabilities“.

The decision undoubtedly came after Raisi’s sudden death and the need to call new elections within 50 days, but his future will be decided by another body. All nominations must be approved by the Guardian Council, whose function, among others, is to approve or veto nominations. The precedents with Ahmadinejad do not bode well. The Council has already disqualified him in 2017 and 2021, when the former president stepped forward to lead the country again, and he could repeat the verdict this time too. Although he enjoys great support among the popular classesSupreme Leader Khamenei believes his positions are too divisive and difficult to control by the Ayatollah, resulting in fear of one internal split between the more conservative and the more progressive parts that the country cannot afford. We therefore await June 11, the day on which the Council will present the final list of Raisi’s potential successors.

The profile – Ahmadinejad gained notoriety in 2005 stating that IsraelIran’s enemy, was destined to be “deleted from the geographical map” and with denialist statements regarding the Holocaust, defined as “myth“. In the same year, he succeeded the first reformist president Mohamed Khatami and from there he was head of the country for two consecutive terms. Both were characterized by positions super extremist towards the United States and from a ultranationalism which resulted in Iran’s international isolation, which was only alleviated with the advent of Hassan Rouhani In the 2013. Furthermore, in 2009 his re-election was marked by strong doubts of electoral fraudwhich sparked large street protests that were harshly repressed.