Five ministers and two vice-presidents are vying for Ebrahim Raisi's seat. Most of the ministers and the late president's family are backing Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohamed Mehdi Esmaili.
Mr Esmaili, 49, is widely seen as the candidate of the Megdad Circle, a political group with close ties to Mr Raisi's family and led by Mr Raisi's son-in-law, Megdad Nili, and his highly influential brother, Meisam Nili, who is currently an adviser to the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance.
The Nili brothers were among the most ardent supporters of populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the 2005 and 2009 elections, but later aligned themselves with the ultra-hardline Paydari party, made up of Ahmadinejad's former officials and supporters.
On Friday, the late president's family hosted a religious event at a shrine in northern Tehran, “with Esmaili in attendance,” a prominent reform commentator said in a post. Abbas Abdi made the claim in a tweet. This could be taken as a signal of support from Esmaili's family.
Known for her stubbornness on cultural issues such as film, theatre, publishing and the hijab, Esmaili was elevated from obscurity to ministerial rank by Raisi after leading his 2021 election campaign.
In 2016, Esmaili was sentenced to five years in prison, 74 lashes and a three-year ban from holding public office for accepting bribes while he was deputy governor of Isfahan province.
Opponents and rivals say Esmaili asked then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Sadegh Amoli Larijani for a review by the Supreme Court but was turned down. But Ebrahim Raisi, who was appointed chief justice by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2019, ordered a review, leading to Esmaili's acquittal. They also claim there are still several cases open against him.
“Presenting Esmaili with such a tainted record as a symbol of Raisi's regime makes a mockery of the fight against corruption,” Abdolreza Davari, a former aide to Ahmadinejad, tweeted last week after Esmaili's candidacy was announced.
Political opponents, including hardline rivals, say he lacks the experience needed to qualify as a presidential candidate compared with most of the other candidates, who are current or former lawmakers and former senior government officials.
Photo attached to the email – Esmaili was accompanying Vice President Mohsen Mansouri at the registration
Rumors have been circulating in Iranian political circles since Wednesday that Esmaili and Mohsen Mansouri, deputy chairman of Raisi's cabinet, had pressured ministers to sign a letter to the Guardian Council recommending Esmaili as a “prominent government or religious figure,” as the constitution requires a candidate, to prevent election monitors from disqualifying him.
The leaked letter The image At least 16 ministers and senior government officials signed what was called a “testimony,” according to a document circulating widely on social media, confirming its authenticity after the signatories condemned its release and threatened legal prosecution of those behind the leak.
The recommendation will put election watchdogs in a very tricky position because their approval of Esmaili, despite his lack of administrative experience and his history of corruption, could be interpreted as bowing to government pressure.
In addition to Mansouri, the handwritten letter includes nine signatures, including government spokesman Ali Bahadli Jahromi, head of the national administrative structure Meisam Lotfi, vice president for women's affairs Ensiyeh Khazali, oil minister Javad Ouzi, communications minister Isa Zarepour and acting foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani.
Acting President Mohammad Mokbel, the other four ministers who registered to vote, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi and Information Minister Esmail Khatib, who are directly involved in the election, Defense Minister Mohammadreza Ashtiani, who is prohibited by law from interfering in politics, and Culture and Heritage Minister Ezzatullah Zarghami, have not signed a letter of support for Esmaili.
