Two hardline contenders in Iran’s presidential election resigned on Thursday, a day before the vote, as conservative factions attempted to unify around a single candidate in the emergency poll held after President Ebrahim Raisi’s death.
Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi announced his withdrawal and asked other candidates to do the same “to strengthen the revolutionary stance,” according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
Hashemi, Raisi’s vice president and the leader of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, ran in the 2021 election and received almost one million votes but finished last.
Also withdrawing Thursday was Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, who similarly pulled out of the 2021 election that saw Raisi’s victory.
Zakani said his decision was intended to prevent the formation of another administration aligned with former president Hassan Rouhani, indirectly targeting reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian.
Former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, well known for his role in the 2015 nuclear negotiations, backs Pezeshkian, who represents a reformist attitude in the face of hardline candidates.
Last-minute withdrawals are common in Iranian presidential elections, especially within 24 hours of voting, when campaigns are required to end.
Friday’s poll comes after Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash last month and is expected to have an impact on the succession to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to a June 22-23 poll by the Iran Students Polling Center, Zakani and Hashemi were projected to secure 1.7% and 2% of the vote, respectively.
With their exits, four presidential candidates remain, prompting Zakani to call on leading hardliners Saeed Jalili and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf to unite against moderate contender Pezeshkian.
Khamenei ensures candidates sharing his hardline views dominate the election process, crucial for determining Iran’s next supreme leader.
The election takes place amid rising tensions with Israel over Gaza, Western pressure on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, and growing domestic discontent over political, social, and economic issues.
