Close Associate of Ahmadinejad: Revocation of His Candidacy Possible Only with a Governmental Decree

While the negative reaction of conservatives to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent actions continues, with some calling for his disqualification due to not adhering to the Supreme Leader's 'recommendation', a close associate of the former president stated that revoking his candidacy is only possible with a 'governmental decree'. On Wednesday, April 23, after registering at the Ministry of Interior, Ahmadinejad announced that the Guardian Council has no reason to disqualify him and his former executive assistant, Hamid Baghaei. He also emphasized in talks with reporters that the Supreme Leader's 'recommendation' did not mean 'prohibition', but he is committed to his 'moral promise' not to run and has only registered to support Hamid Baghaei in the elections. Meanwhile, several conservative figures have mentioned the possibility of Ahmadinejad's disqualification due to ignoring the Supreme Leader's 'recommendation' not to run. Mohsen Kouhkan, Vice President of the Front of Followers of the Line of Imam and Leadership, expressed regret over Ahmadinejad's candidacy in an interview with the House of the Nation website, affiliated with the parliament, stating, 'If I were a legal expert at the Guardian Council, I would vote for Ahmadinejad's disqualification.' Abbasali Kadkhodai, spokesman for the Guardian Council, had previously stated in an interview with the weekly Mosharekat that the Supreme Leader's 'recommendation' to Ahmadinejad could be considered a 'legal order'. Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, also tweeted sarcastically, 'If we consulted a wise scholar for our own benefit and did not appreciate their concern because their opinion did not suit us, it indicates a problem.' On Wednesday, some conservative figures criticized Ahmadinejad's candidacy, and there was no mention of his candidacy on the front pages of conservative media, most of which did not even publish a short news item about it. However, reformist figure Saeed Hajarian believes that the Supreme Leader's recommendation to Ahmadinejad was an attempt to prevent a polarized election atmosphere, and now that the candidacy of Ebrahim Raisi has effectively polarized the environment, Ahmadinejad's candidacy 'takes the atmosphere out of polarization and is actually in line with the Leader's wishes'. Hajarian also predicted in an interview with ISNA that both Ahmadinejad and Baghaei would be disqualified. Conversely, some reformist figures have expressed hope that Ahmadinejad will be approved to clarify the 'real measure' of his votes in the elections. Among them, Hesamoddin Ashna, an advisor to the president, expressed hope on Twitter that Ahmadinejad would 'receive the people's response for not complying with the Supreme Leader's public recommendation', not from the Guardian Council. However, on Thursday, April 24, Abdolreza Davari, a close associate of Ahmadinejad, tweeted that revoking Ahmadinejad's candidacy based on the 'recommendation' of Ayatollah Khamenei is 'against the constitution'. He also emphasized that this revocation can only occur with a 'governmental decree'. A 'governmental decree' in the media and official discourse of Iran refers to a decree issued by the Supreme Leader that is 'beyond' the laws. Ahmadinejad had previously stated that the Guardian Council has no reason to disqualify him and Hamid Baghaei. Ahmadinejad had also previously stated in a declaration supporting Baghaei's candidacy that he is 'determined' to perform his 'political and social duties' in a way that 'qualified individuals' are not excluded from the 'circle of selection', unlike in 2013. However, his actions on Wednesday come at a time when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, confirmed on September 27, 2016, that he had told Ahmadinejad that 'it is not advisable' for him to participate in the upcoming elections. Some political analysts have also spoken about the possibility of Baghaei's disqualification. Meanwhile, Bahram Parsayi, spokesman for the Article 90 Commission of the parliament, stated that Baghaei has a 'case' in this commission and has been sentenced to dismissal from government service by the Court of Audit. Baghaei, known as one of Ahmadinejad's closest allies, was arrested last June on charges of 'embezzlement' and was released in December of the same year. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, spokesman for the judiciary, explained that Baghaei's case is still open, but this alone will not lead to his disqualification, and he may have an open case and the Guardian Council may approve his candidacy.