Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Registers for Presidential Election

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a former president of Iran, went to the central headquarters of the Ministry of Interior on Sunday, June 3, to register for the 14th presidential election. On the same day, he announced his decision to register in a video on the 'Dolat Bahar' website. The website, close to Ahmadinejad, stated that this decision was made after a gathering of his supporters in 72 Narmak Square, where the former president resides. After registering, Ahmadinejad stated in a speech broadcast on state television that 'my most important motivation is to focus on solving economic problems, ending rent-seeking, and opening up for improving the business environment.' He further expressed confidence that 'all the country's issues... can be resolved in the light of peaceful coexistence and constructive interaction with the world, prioritizing the development of relations, especially economic, in the international arena.' These statements come at a time when the country's macro policies, both domestic and foreign, are under the control of the Supreme Leader, who has consistently emphasized 'hostility' towards multiple countries worldwide and has not proposed policies for 'peaceful coexistence and constructive interaction with the world.' Ahmadinejad also spoke of 'peaceful coexistence and constructive interaction with the world' despite his previous remarks questioning the Holocaust, insisting that Iran has no gay citizens, and alluding to the possibility of developing nuclear weapons if desired by Iran, which has heightened tensions between Iran and other countries. On Saturday evening, among a crowd of his supporters, Ahmadinejad mentioned regarding his candidacy that 'our issue is not power at all,' adding, referencing a saying attributed to the first Imam of Shia Muslims, that 'power in itself has no value and is worth less than the snot of a sick goat.' Regarding his intentions and plans, Ahmadinejad stated that 'the economic issues and the livelihood of the people are the top priority.' He made these remarks while, at the end of his second term, the dollar price had increased from 1,100 tomans to 3,700 tomans in an unprecedented event. Despite the increasing economic and livelihood problems of the Iranian people during Ahmadinejad's presidency, he attributed the dollar fluctuations to 'the conspiracy of enemies.' Ahmadinejad's critics have also stated that his government had given '20 billion dollars of the government's foreign income' to 'a few specific currency traders' to keep the dollar price low, resulting in 'huge amounts' benefiting them. Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare in Hassan Rouhani's government, also mentioned that 'despite the 750 billion dollars of income during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's eight-year presidency, marginalization continued, and poverty was not controlled in Iran.' Ahmadinejad's decision to register again for the presidential election comes after he was disqualified by the Guardian Council in the last election and subsequently announced that he would not participate in the 1400 elections and would not support any candidate. He also stated on June 3, 1400, that while he was 'elected twice as president with a high vote from the people,' his disqualification was 'an insult to the people and a violation of the constitution.' This claim comes despite the fact that both elections referred to by the former president in 1384 and 1388 were disputed, and the announcement of Ahmadinejad's victory in 1388 led to widespread protests of the 'Green Movement' and ultimately the house arrest of protest leaders. Since leaving the presidency, Ahmadinejad has attempted to reassert his political presence through social media and public letters to world leaders. He has also criticized government corruption, although his own administration has faced corruption allegations, and two of his former deputies have been imprisoned. Other registrants in the last three days include Mohammad Mehdi Esmaeili, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance in the Raisi government, and Masoud Zaribafan, former head of the Martyrs Foundation and a close associate of Ahmadinejad. Other individuals who registered on this day include Hassan Mohammadiyari, a representative of the 11th parliament, Iraj Safavi Shahvordi, former commander of the Army Ground Forces' intelligence protection, Mohammad Hassan Qadiri Abiyaneh, former ambassador of Iran to Mexico and Australia, Mohammad Moqimi, head of Tehran University, Sadegh Khalilian, former Minister of Agricultural Jihad, Mahmoud Sadeqi, former member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and Hossein Ali Qasemzadeh, representative of the 7th parliament. So far, in the registration phase for the 14th presidential election, Saeed Jalili, Qodrat Ali Hashmatiyan, Mostafa Kaveh Kabi, Mohammad Reza Sabaghian, Abbas Moqtadaei registered on the first day, and Ali Larijani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mohammad Khushchahreh, and Abdolnasser Hemmati registered on the second day. Eight people registered on the third day, including Ahmad Rasouli Nejad, Vahid Haqaniyan, Masoud Pezeshkian, Alireza Zakani, Habibollah Dehmordeh, Zahra Elhian, Mohammad Reza Mir Tajeddini, and Fadakhossin Maleki. The competition to replace Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash, has not yet attracted a candidate with clear and decisive support from Ali Khamenei. Registrations of Vahid Haqaniyan and others on Saturday also took place on the third day of registration for the 14th presidential election, with eight individuals, including Vahid Haqaniyan, a member of Ali Khamenei's office, and Alireza Zakani, the current mayor of Tehran, registering. The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Interior's election headquarters announced at the end of the third day of candidate registration that after three days, 17 individuals who met the necessary conditions had registered. Registration on the third day began at 8 AM at the election headquarters in the Ministry of Interior, and although political figures usually visit the Ministry of Interior early in the morning to register, the Mehr news agency reported that journalists were still waiting. Shortly after this news was published, media reported that Ahmad Rasouli Nejad, a former member of parliament, was the first candidate to visit the election headquarters on the third day of registration. Following Rasouli Nejad, images of Vahid Haqaniyan, known by titles such as 'Sardar Vahid' and 'Mr. Vahid,' were published at the Ministry of Interior. Vahid Haqaniyan is a former military commander who has long been referred to as the deputy for special affairs in the office of the Supreme Leader. The Shargh newspaper introduced him as 'one of the officials of the Leader's office,' while the Etemad newspaper referred to him as 'Sardar.' He introduces himself as 'senior advisor and assistant in executive affairs of the Leader's office.' His presence alongside the Supreme Leader and his close proximity to him at most ceremonies has been prominent, and over the years, many rumors have circulated about his role and influence in Ali Khamenei's office. His candidacy for the presidential election has also attracted the attention of foreign media, with Reuters identifying him as a 'former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' who had been sanctioned by the United States. According to this report, the U.S. Treasury Department added Vahid Haqaniyan to its sanctions list in 2019 as one of nine individuals responsible for 'continued internal and external repression' in the 'inner circle' close to Ali Khamenei. In statements at the Ministry of Interior's election headquarters, he said he had registered for the election with a 'personal decision' and intended to 'move from the seventh and final layer of the system's brain to the important and apparent outer shell.' Besides Vahid Haqaniyan, Masoud Pezeshkian, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also entered the Ministry of Interior to register for the election. He had previously stated that he would not be a 'cover candidate.' On Saturday afternoon, Alireza Zakani, the current mayor of Tehran, also registered at the election headquarters. He has served four terms in the parliament during the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th periods and is known for his presidency of the student Basij organization in the 1990s. Zakani was also a candidate approved by the Guardian Council in the 1400 elections, where some of his rivals labeled him as Ebrahim Raisi's 'cover candidate,' and he withdrew in favor of Raisi before the elections. When Zakani was present at the Ministry of Interior, he did not answer a journalist's question about whether he would remain until the end of the elections, only smiling in response. On Saturday, Zahra Elhian registered as the first woman to run in the 14th presidential election at the Ministry of Interior. Ms. Elhian, who is close to conservatives, served as a representative of Tehran in the 8th and 11th parliaments. The European Union placed Zahra Elhian on its sanctions list in March 2023. In the past two days, four other women had also registered as presidential candidates at the Ministry of Interior, but the head of the election headquarters announced that none of them met the necessary conditions. Additionally, Fadakhossin Maleki, a representative from Zahedan in the 11th parliament and head of the campaign against smuggling goods and currency in Ahmadinejad's second government, also successfully registered on Saturday. In the past two days, among all individuals who visited the Ministry of Interior's election headquarters, only nine candidates have been confirmed for registration. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior announced that the other visitors did not meet the registration criteria. On the second day, Ali Larijani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mohammad Khushchahreh, and Abdolnasser Hemmati confirmed their registration. On the first day of candidate registration, Saeed Jalili, Qodrat Ali Hashmatiyan, Abbas Moqtadaei, Mostafa Kaveh Kabi, and Mohammad Reza Sabaghian registered. Before Ali Larijani's registration, shortly after his tweet on the X platform indicating his intention to register for the election, a dispute began between his supporters and Saeed Jalili, a hardliner candidate in this election. After Larijani's remarks at the Ministry of Interior that 'to overcome obstacles, we must elevate ourselves above outdated methods' and using the hashtag 'elevate ourselves,' Raisi's supporters fiercely attacked this political figure. This hashtag was interpreted as a 'taunt' regarding the helicopter crash incident involving Raisi and his entourage, to the extent that Larijani tweeted: 'To grow and develop the country, we must elevate ourselves above destructive and negative discussions and for once focus the electoral atmosphere on outlining the people's problems and providing real solutions.' He referred to Raisi and his companions as 'martyrs of service' and added that 'their memory and name are honored, and the thoughts of the devils and those who exploit their names will fail.' However, this explanation did not settle the matter, and after Jalili sarcastically addressed Larijani, stating that 'no one can claim to be seeking the people's interests if they have held responsibilities in parliament for several years without providing a record in the fight against corruption,' the former Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly turned to ChatGPT. Larijani wrote on the X platform in response to Jalili: 'I asked your question to ChatGPT, and it provided relatively complete answers, although some aspects were not included in this response. I hope it will be beneficial for you.' In these questions, responses were given regarding the 'actions' attributed to Larijani in the 'fight against corruption.' The extensive disqualifications by the Guardian Council in previous parliamentary and presidential elections, as well as the widespread violence of the Islamic Republic against citizens during various protests, are among the reasons that have led to a historic decline in public participation in elections. After the five-day registration period ends, the Guardian Council will review qualifications for seven days starting from June 15, and ultimately, the names of the qualified candidates will be announced to the Ministry of Interior on June 22. After the Guardian Council's final opinion is announced, candidates will have 15 days (until July 6) for campaigning. From July 7, election campaigning will be prohibited, and the elections will be held on July 8. If none of the candidates receive a majority of the votes, the second round of elections will be held on July 15. According to Article 131 of the Constitution, the 14th presidential election, which was previously scheduled for June 1404, will be held early on July 8 of this year following the death of Ebrahim Raisi and his companions in a helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan province.