Ahmadinejad Supports Baghaei; Says He Will 'Ensure' Qualified Candidates Are Not Excluded

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a statement supporting Hamid Baghaei's candidacy, declared that he is 'determined' to fulfill his 'political and social duties' in a way that 'qualified individuals' are not excluded from the 'selection circle' as was the case in 2013. According to ISNA news agency, the former president of Iran announced on Sunday, March 19, that the Supreme Leader's recommendation for him not to run in the upcoming elections 'in no way prevents the candidacy of other friends and brothers, nor does it negate his responsibilities' regarding the country's issues and the revolution. He reminded that several members of his government have been proposed as candidates for the 2017 presidential elections by certain factions and that 'no objection has been raised against that.' On Friday, March 17, Ahmadinejad also stated that he would not directly enter the 2017 presidential elections for now, but added that 'other friends who have no prohibition can.' Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, confirmed on Tuesday, September 27, that he had told Ahmadinejad that 'it is not appropriate' for him to participate in the upcoming elections. Mehrdad Bazrpash, Hamidreza Hajibabaei, Parviz Fattah, Rostam Qasemi, and Ali Nikzad, members of Ahmadinejad's government, are among the 14 initial candidates of the 'Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces' for the presidential elections. This conservative coalition, known as the 'Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces,' was established in early January of this year, with founding members including Mohammad Hossein Rahimian, Mehdi Chamran, Yahya Al-Es'haq, Alireza Marandi, and Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi. Ahmadinejad also stated on Sunday that his previous announcement about not supporting any candidate in the elections was due to his discovery in December that 'a political faction insists on exploiting the names of several government members in the elections.' He emphasized that these events occurred before Baghaei's candidacy was announced. Prior to Baghaei's candidacy, Ahmadinejad had issued a statement declaring that he would not support 'any individual, faction, party, or group' in the upcoming presidential elections. Hamid Baghaei, Ahmadinejad's executive deputy during his presidency, announced that he intends to run for the elections 'completely independent of individuals, groups, parties, and political factions.' Baghaei was arrested last June on charges of 'embezzlement' and was released in January of the following year. Meanwhile, some analysts have spoken about the possibility of Baghaei's disqualification. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, announced on Sunday, March 5, that Baghaei's case is still open, but this alone will not lead to his disqualification, and he may have an open case while the Guardian Council may approve his candidacy. Ahmadinejad stated in his announcement that he sees it as his 'duty' to 'ensure' that the mistakes of 2013, which involved the exclusion of some qualified individuals from presidential election competitions, are not repeated. He stated that these 'mistakes' effectively 'limited the people's selection circle and set the country back from the path of progress for years.' The former president emphasized that he is 'determined' to carry out his 'political and social duties' in a way that 'the people are assured that qualified individuals will not be excluded from their selection circle.' According to Ahmadinejad, 'unprecedented pressure on the people has caused irreparable damage to the lives of many of them and has made the country's conditions very difficult.' In the 2013 presidential elections, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared at the election headquarters 'hand in hand' with his preferred candidate, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who was disqualified in that election. Ahmadinejad had said that he would follow up on this matter through the Supreme Leader, but Ayatollah Khamenei did not issue an order to approve Mashaei's candidacy. At the end of his statement, Ahmadinejad declared that with Baghaei's candidacy, 'the electoral and political atmosphere has moved away from the monopolistic bipolarity of the two historical factions in power, and now, in addition to the two traditional factions, at least one independent individual is also present in the elections.' He emphasized that with Baghaei's candidacy, 'the people's selection circle has expanded and moved away from the monopoly of the two political poles of the country.' Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, Ahmadinejad's chief of staff during his presidency, also stated in an open letter addressed to Mohammad Khatami, the former president of Iran, that people voted for Ahmadinejad in the past elections 'not as a symbol of conservatism' but with the aim of 'implementing reforms more seriously.'