Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially entered Sunday the race for the upcoming presidential elections in Iran, announcing his candidacy in a bid to return to the office he held from 2005 to 2013.
Ahmadinejad, whose previous tenure was marred by political turmoil and the mass protests of 2009, has spent years harshly criticizing the Iranian regime since leaving office. He has promoted populist positions often at odds with the country's religious establishment and leadership.
A notorious Holocaust denier, Ahmadinejad said in his farewell ceremony in July 2023 that publicizing his Holocaust denial was a major achievement of his presidency.
The controversial ex-president's comeback attempt must still be approved by the Guardian Council, the powerful vetting body controlled by allies of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
محمود احمدینژاد در پاسخ به سوالی مبنی بر اینکه «چقدر احتمال میدهید تایید صلاحیت شوید»، گفت: «هنوز کنفرانس خبری شروع نشده»! pic.twitter.com/B30vJoRH9M
— شرق (@SharghDaily) June 2, 2024
Also running for the presidency is Zohreh Elahian, a conservative lawmaker who declared her own candidacy on Saturday. If permitted on the ballot, Elahian would become the first woman ever to run for Iran's highest elected office, an unprecedented move in the Islamic republic where such positions have been reserved for men.
As Iranian politics is driven by backroom alliances between factions, the jockeying has already begun over who will emerge as the favored candidate, according to Iran expert Dr. Ori Goldberg.
"You have to follow who is forming coalitions with whom," Goldberg told Israel Hayom last month after the death of Ebrahim Raisi when it was clear Iran would soon hold presidential elections. "Perhaps there will be attempts to promote a specific person as a frontman while the real powerbroker stays behind the scenes."
Goldberg suggested the death of Raisi, who held key roles under Khamenei, has created a "test of resilience" as factions align and Khamenei potentially looks to remake his inner circle, whether by elevating a new technocrat or making an overture to the public.
"No one will act now without listening to the public," Goldberg said.
