Ahmadinejad: I Will Not Enter the Elections Directly for Now

Continuing his recent prominent presence in Iranian politics, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that he will not directly enter the presidential election of 1396 (2017), while stating that "other friends who have no restrictions can participate." According to the website Entekhab on Friday, Esfand 20, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad emphasized in a speech to the group "Councils for Reinterpreting the Line of Imam" that the Supreme Leader's order for him not to run does not mean he will remain silent about the "revolution and the state of the country." Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, confirmed on Tuesday, Mehr 5, that he told Ahmadinejad it is "not advisable" for him to participate in the upcoming elections. In his recent speech, Ahmadinejad reiterated his previous statements, declaring that he will not enter the elections "directly" and will not support anyone, but "no one can be indifferent and a spectator regarding the fate of the nation and hand over the country to the enemies of the nation." He mentioned that conservative groups wanted to present several candidates "in his name" during the presidential elections last November, but he responded that he would "never support these individuals." The former president also described Hamid Bakai, his executive assistant during his presidency, as a "faithful, pure, loyal, and Imam-line individual." This statement comes despite Ahmadinejad having declared less than a month ago that he would not support anyone in the upcoming elections. Despite the barrier that Ayatollah Khamenei has placed before the former president, several conservatives, including Mohammad Nabi Habibi, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Coalition Party, have stated that Ahmadinejad's behavior after these remarks is "unpredictable." On Sunday, Esfand 15, coinciding with Tree Planting Day, videos were released showing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, and Hamid Bakai planting trees together. Ahmadinejad also visited the Tehran market with Bakai on Thursday, Esfand 19. Ahmadinejad's supporters have expressed hope that Bakai will be approved as a candidate in the elections. In this context, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary announced that Bakai's case remains open, but this alone will not lead to his disqualification, and he may still be approved by the Guardian Council. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff during his presidency, commented on the possibility of Bakai's disqualification due to his open case, saying, "They say Bakai has a case; who doesn't have a case?" Bakai, known as one of Ahmadinejad's closest allies, was arrested last June on charges of "embezzlement" and was released in January of the following year. He has stated that he intends to run for election "completely independent of individuals, groups, parties, and political factions." Ahmadinejad, in another part of his speech, stated that he will provide "crushing and continuous responses" to the accusations regarding his government's performance. He added, "At the right time, there will be continuous slaps. Do they think the nation is dead and that no one will respond to them?" The former president's remarks may be directed at Hassan Rouhani, as he stated, "Who has made you so brazen to speak about the Iranian nation in this way? It seems you haven't hit a hard wall." Ahmadinejad, in less than a week, has labeled the statements of Rouhani's government officials about the "emptiness of the treasury" and the "emptiness of essential goods warehouses" at the time of the government's handover as "incorrect claims" in two separate letters. He also reiterated these claims in a video released on Thursday. Hassan Rouhani reported on Azar 6, 1392 (November 27, 2013) that his government received the treasury with about 1280 billion tomans in assets and a considerable amount of debt. Rouhani has also mentioned "empty warehouses" since taking over executive affairs in Iran. Rouhani and his government officials have repeatedly criticized Ahmadinejad's presidency over the past three years, attributing part of their current government's problems to the policies and actions of Ahmadinejad's previous administrations.