Ahmadinejad: I Will Not Support Any Candidate or Group in the Elections

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced in a statement that he is "not a member of any faction, party, or group" and will not support "any individual or faction, party, or group" in the upcoming presidential elections. According to Fars News Agency on Saturday (February 11), Ahmadinejad stated that this is his "definite and unchangeable position." He explained that the issuance of this statement was to "refute some rumors regarding my support for a specific candidate in next year's elections." The former president added that any reports about his support for a "specific person," even if coming from "my close associates, are false and strongly denied." The twelfth presidential election in Iran is scheduled for May 29, 2017. Earlier reports indicated that Ahmadinejad had begun his electoral activities for this election, which faced opposition from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On October 27 of this year, Khamenei stated in a meeting with Ahmadinejad that he does not believe it is advisable for him to run in the upcoming presidential election. The following day, Ahmadinejad wrote a letter to the Supreme Leader stating that he would not run in the upcoming presidential election in accordance with his wishes. Despite Ahmadinejad's announcement of his withdrawal from the presidential race, his travels to cities across Iran continue. Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Ahmadinejad's media advisor, claimed that these trips are "not political or promotional." On October 27 of this year, Bahman Sharifzadeh, a member of the "Unity and Justice Front," announced that Ahmadinejad had told Gholamhossein Elham that he would not support him in the upcoming elections. Elham, a former member of Ahmadinejad's administrations, is mentioned as a potential candidate among conservatives in the upcoming presidential election. Meanwhile, Sharifzadeh also stated that "Ahmadinejad will not support any candidate from the principlist and reformist factions, nor from his own supporting faction, nor from the justice-seeking movement." However, some conservative media have reported on a meeting between Mehrdad Bazrpash and Ahmadinejad, stating that Ahmadinejad would support Bazrpash's candidacy in the upcoming presidential election. Bazrpash is also mentioned as a potential conservative candidate in the upcoming elections, supported by a specific faction of this movement.