Spokesman for 'Combatant Clergy Society' Rejects Support for Ahmadinejad's Candidacy in 2017 Presidential Election

Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam, spokesman for the Combatant Clergy Society, announced that this organization will not support Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's candidacy in the upcoming presidential election. According to Mehr News Agency, Mr. Mesbahi Moghadam stated this during a press conference on Wednesday, September 1, saying that 'Ahmadinejad's political influence has passed.' He explicitly stated that 'the Combatant Clergy Society has no inclination towards Ahmadinejad himself or the candidates he supports in the upcoming election.' Mesbahi Moghadam also mentioned that the society did not support Ahmadinejad in the 2005 and 2009 presidential elections either. This conservative cleric continued, 'There is no necessity to place any special reliance on him.' Ahmadinejad is mentioned as a potential candidate for the 2017 presidential election in Iran. In recent months, he has made several provincial trips that have prompted reactions from the Ministry of Interior officials. Cities and locations where Ahmadinejad has spoken recently include Tabriz, Varamin, Mashhad, Bafq, Birjand, Jiroft, Zanjan, and mosques in Tehran neighborhoods, including the Jameh Mosque of Narmak and Masoudiyeh. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Iran's Minister of Interior, stated on August 13 that the content of Ahmadinejad's speeches raises 'suspicions of electoral intentions.' About a week after these remarks, Mohammad Hossein Moqimi, the political deputy of the Minister of Interior, announced that reports regarding the electoral nature of Ahmadinejad's travels were under review and said this issue 'has not yet been confirmed.' According to Article 66 of Iran's presidential election law, 'Electoral activities of presidential candidates officially begin from the date their names are announced by the Ministry of Interior and end 24 hours before voting starts.' The 12th presidential election is scheduled to be held on May 17, 2017, and so far, no definitive reports or news regarding Ahmadinejad's participation in this election have been published by media or his close associates. Meanwhile, the website 'Khabar Online' reported on Tuesday that Ahmadinejad has sent a message to the principlist faction asking for their support for his candidacy in the upcoming election, indicating that he would withdraw in favor of their preferred candidate at the last moment. This website noted that Ahmadinejad, through an unnamed intermediary, has conveyed to the principlists that 'since he can gather votes for himself in certain parts of the country, they should stop undermining him and support him.' 'Khabar Online' added that 'it seems this action by Ahmadinejad is a political maneuver to gain approval from the Guardian Council with the leverage of the principlists.' Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam also commented on this news and Ahmadinejad's proposal, saying, 'We can only express our gratitude for Mr. Ahmadinejad's kind remarks.' Mohammad Reza Bahonar, Secretary General of the Islamic Engineers Society, previously stated that Ahmadinejad's candidacy is not in his 'interest,' and Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, has said that Ahmadinejad's return to the presidency has 'no appeal.' Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in Parliament, has also stated that Ahmadinejad should be 'tried before running.' A significant number of prominent figures from the principlist faction have repeatedly declared in recent months that they are not willing to support Ahmadinejad's candidacy in the upcoming presidential election. On Tuesday, Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam also told the Tasnim news agency that 'even if we have no rival other than Mr. Ahmadinejad in the presidential election, I believe supporting him is not advisable.' Mesbahi Moghadam added that 'the eight-year experience of Ahmadinejad's government has not been successful for us' and that 'Ahmadinejad created a rift between the parliament and the government and squandered national resources for his individual goals.' This conservative cleric further stated, 'Ahmadinejad took over the country with relatively low debt and handed it over with a very heavy debt and followed a path of unilateralism,' and 'despite this, I do not see it as advisable for him to come to the scene, and even if he does, I doubt he will be approved. Even if he is approved, it is very unlikely that principlist movements and figures will support him.' In this context, a member of parliament expressed readiness to expose Ahmadinejad's 'betrayals.' Mohammadi Kermani: It is unlikely that principlists will support either Rouhani or Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad on his return to politics: 'Currently, the interests do not necessitate it.' The Minister of Interior: Ahmadinejad's speeches raise suspicions of electoral intentions. The Ministry of Interior: The electoral nature of Ahmadinejad's travels has not yet been confirmed.