Two candidates, Alireza Zakani and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, have withdrawn from Iran's presidential election before it took place. The snap election will be held on Friday following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May. Withdrawal of these candidates does not contribute much to the unification of the conservative camp, which remains divided between Saeed Jalili and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The sole reformist, Masoud Pezeshkian, still has a chance of winning but it will depend on voter turnout. The Iranian presidential candidates are focusing on how to handle former President Donald J. Trump in the 2024 election as his victory is considered a foregone conclusion by them.
Alireza Zakani and Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, two contenders in Iran's presidential election, have withdrawn from the race before it took place. The snap election was called following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May. Zakani, the mayor of Tehran, announced his withdrawal on Thursday while Hashemi dropped out on Wednesday night.
The conservative camp remains divided between Saeed Jalili and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Jalili is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's direct representative to the country's Supreme National Security Council, while Ghalibaf served as one of Raisi's vice presidents and was a former commander of the air force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The sole reformist, Masoud Pezeshkian, still has a chance of winning but it will depend on voter turnout. In previous elections, there have been record low numbers of people heading to the polling station.
Meanwhile, all candidates are focusing on how to handle former President Donald J. Trump in the 2024 election as his victory is considered a foregone conclusion by them.
Mostafa Pourmohammadi believes he can stand up to Trump and handle negotiations with him, while Alireza Zakani insists only he can manage Trump. The topic of the nuclear deal remains fresh in Iran and has been a central theme throughout this campaign due to its past significance and the involvement of former foreign minister Javad Zarif as a running mate for reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iranians have ample reason to be wary of another Trump presidency. It was Trump who unilaterally pulled the United States out of Iran's deal with world powers over its nuclear program, even though U.N. nuclear inspectors had repeatedly confirmed that Iran was complying with its commitments.
The election is scheduled for Friday, June 28.