MADRID – Iran is preparing for presidential elections on June 28 following the decision to hold early elections following the tragic death of President Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, three years into his term in office.
On June 9, the Ministry of Interior announced the final list of candidates to run in the upcoming elections. According to the constitution, approving candidates is the responsibility of the Guardian Council, which is made up of 12 members, half of whom are clerics appointed by the leader and the other six are judges selected by parliament. While the Guardian Council does not have legislative powers, it has the important role of ratifying all laws passed by parliament and ensuring that they comply with the Islamic fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic.
Moreover, according to Article 99 of the Iranian Constitution, the Guardian Council’s main responsibilities include supervising the country’s electoral process. After thoroughly analyzing the profiles of candidates, the Guardian Council will decide whether to formally approve or reject their nominations.
This time, the council did not approve the candidacy of such prominent figures as former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and former Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri.
The six candidates approved by the Guardian Council and eligible to take part in the elections are Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Massoud Pezeshkian, Mostafa Pourmohammadi and Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi.
Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf: Born in 1961 in Mashhad Province, Qalibaf is the current Speaker of Parliament. Throughout his career, Qalibaf has played key roles in Iranian politics. He served as the Commander of the Police and Air Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from 1998 to 2005, and later as Mayor of Tehran from September 2005 to September 2017. He is also an Associate Professor and faculty member at the Department of Political Geography at the University of Tehran.
Qalibaf has run for president three times.
– In 2005, he finished fourth among candidates that included Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mehdi Karroubi, Mostafa Moeen, Ali Larijani and Mohsen Meheralizadeh.
– In 2013, he came in second place against Hassan Rouhani, Saeed Jalili, Mohsen Rezaei, Ali Akbar Velayati and Mohammed Gharazi. During these elections, Qassam Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, publicly supported Qalibaf, with whom he had developed a friendship during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
– In 2017, he withdrew from the election to support the late President Ebrahim Raisi.
Qalibaf is seen as the front-runner in the next elections.
Said Jalili: Born in Mashhad in 1965, he is a prominent Iranian politician and diplomat with a PhD in political science. During the Iran-Iraq war, Jalili volunteered for the Basij paramilitary force and was wounded in the leg during Operation Kerbala 5.
Jalili began his career in the Supreme Leader's Office in the 1990s, initially as Director General of the Inspector General. During this time, he played a key role in monitoring, reporting and strategizing various departments of the country. With the inauguration of the 9th administration in 2005, he was promoted to Deputy Director General for European and American Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in 2007 was appointed Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.
Mr. Jalili has been involved with the “Committee on Combating Economic Crimes” and the “Special Economic Strategy Council” within the SNC Secretariat, served as chairman of the “Committee on Countering Sanctions” and was appointed by the Supreme Leader as a representative to the SNC, and is an active member of the Expediency Council and Foreign Relations Strategy Council.
Jalili ran unsuccessfully for president in 2013 and withdrew his candidacy in 2017 in support of Ebrahim Raisi. Jalili also led the nuclear negotiating team.
Alireza Zakhani: He was born in Shahr-e-Rey, Tehran Province in 1966. He is a faculty member at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and an associate professor of nuclear medicine at the same university. Mr. Zakani also holds the position of Mayor of Tehran and is known for his important role in the conservative movement in terms of both party organization and organizational capacity.
Zakhani served as a member of the Iranian parliament from 2000 to 2020. Under President Raisi's administration, he was appointed presidential advisor for social affairs in Tehran, strengthening his influence in local politics.
From the late 1970s through to his youth, Zakhani held important positions within the Basij student organization at universities in Tehran province, and from 2000 to 2003 he served as chairman of the National Basij Student Organization, strengthening his leadership within the conservative movement.
In 2008, he co-founded the Association of Followers of the Islamic Revolution with the support of conservative political activists and was elected secretary-general at its first congress. In the 2021 presidential election, Zakhani initially ran as a candidate but later withdrew, endorsing the candidate led by Ebrahim Raisi.
Massoud Pezechkian: He was born in Mahabad in 1954. He holds a PhD in General Medicine from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and is a specialist in General Surgery, specialising in Cardiac Surgery. He is currently a Member of Parliament representing the Tabriz, Azarshahr and Osk constituencies.
Pezeshkian has had a distinguished political career, having served as a member of Iran's Eighth, Ninth, Tenth (Deputy Speaker) and Eleventh Parliaments. He also served as Minister of Health, Medical Treatment and Medical Education during the term of President Mohammad Khatami, where he solidified his public health expertise.
Regarding elections, Pezeshkian ran twice for the presidency, in 2013 and 2021. In 2013, he withdrew his candidacy to support Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, demonstrating his loyalty to prominent figures in the Iranian leadership. However, in 2021, he was restricted from participating in the presidential elections due to failure to gain approval from the Guardian Council.
Pezeshkian has the backing of key politicians, including former Vice President Jahangiri and Javad Zarif, who served as foreign minister under President Rouhani and is known for negotiating the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. There have been recent rumors that former President Khatami may support Pezeshkian's candidacy.
His election strategy focuses on attracting minority votes.
Mostafa Pourmohammadi: He was born in Qom in 1959. He holds advanced degrees from the School of Sharia Law and Islamic Principles in Qom and completed his studies in jurisprudence and Islamic law in Mashhad, Qom and Tehran. PourMohammadi is a prolific author and has published numerous books and articles on political rights, the theoretical principles of Islamic political thought, and political and social issues.
From a young age, he played a key role in the prosecution of the revolution in provinces such as Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Kermanshah and Khorasan between 1979 and 1986. Furthermore, he was in charge of the intelligence department of the Ministry of Intelligence from 1990 to 1997 and served as deputy minister of the same ministry from 1997 to 2000, establishing himself as a prominent figure in Iranian politics.
He served as Minister of the Interior from 2015 to 2018 during the term of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He also served as Minister of Justice during President Rouhani's first term from 2013 to 2017, exerting a significant influence on the country's judicial system. He has also served as a member and chairman of the board of directors of the Documentation Center of the Islamic Revolution since 1996, taking over as president in 2021 after 25 years of service. He has been a professor at Imam Sadeq University since 1996, and served as Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces Command for Judicial Affairs from 2005 to 2008.
His election strategy focuses on attracting votes from the younger sector of society.
Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi: He was born in Firzan, Khorasan Razavi Province in 1971. He specializes in ENT and has had a career in both the medical and political sectors in Iran.
Ghazizadeh Hashemi has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Foundation since 2021. He served four terms in parliament and was Deputy Speaker of the 11th Parliament, demonstrating his experience and track record in legislative issues.
She participated in the 2021 election as a finalist and won fourth place in the public vote.
Five debates featuring all the candidates will be held in the days leading up to the election on June 28. According to the results of a recent survey conducted by an Iranian university on June 9 through 1,500 phone interviews, Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf has emerged as the front-runner with 34.9% support, followed by Masoud Pezeshkian with 26.3% and Saeed Jalili with 17.4%, according to the survey data.
Mostafa Pourmohammadi is expected to receive 8.6% of the support, Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi 6.7% and Alireza Zakhani 6.1%.
