Alongside Baghaei, Ahmadinejad Registers as a Presidential Candidate

On Wednesday, April 23, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered to run in the upcoming presidential elections in May, contrary to his previous promises and the wishes of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, Ahmadinejad, accompanied by Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and Hamid Baghaei, appeared at the Ministry of Interior in Tehran. After Baghaei registered, Ahmadinejad also submitted his name as a candidate for the 12th presidential election. Ahmadinejad's registration for the 2017 presidential election was against the 'recommendation' of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, who had advised him not to run in order to prevent a 'polarization' of the electoral atmosphere. In response to a question from an ILNA reporter about whether he had consulted with the Supreme Leader or if circumstances had changed, Ahmadinejad simply 'remained silent and smiled.' Previously, Ahmadinejad had stated that he would not run in this year's elections based on the Supreme Leader's advice. In the past couple of months, Ahmadinejad had supported Baghaei's candidacy, his former deputy during his presidency. Despite Khamenei's recommendation, Ahmadinejad, along with Baghaei and Mashaei, was present at the election headquarters on Wednesday morning. While journalists and observers were waiting for Baghaei's registration, Ahmadinejad also registered. Masoud Zaribafan, another close associate of Ahmadinejad, also registered on the second day of the presidential candidacy registration.