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Election headquarters head: Jalili is not the administration’s candidate

Politics Materials 1 June 2013 17:34 (UTC +04:00)
Saeed Jalili is not the administration’s candidate in the upcoming presidential election, ISNA quoted Jalili’s election headquarters head Ali Baqeri as saying.
Election headquarters head: Jalili is not the administration’s candidate

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jun.1/ Trend F.Eminli

Saeed Jalili is not the administration's candidate in the upcoming presidential election, ISNA quoted Jalili's election headquarters head Ali Baqeri as saying.

Referring to Jalili's track record, Baqeri said, "He is a true follower of the Supreme Leader and has always moved in line with the Supreme Leader's guidelines."

He is the only candidate who emphasizes on the Islamic Revolution discourse, Baqeri said.

Baqeri's remarks hinted at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's close ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who was disqualified by the Guardian Council for the presidential election and has been widely criticized by Iranian conservatives for alleged "deviant" tendencies.

Jalili, who is the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, is facing seven rivals in the upcoming election including former Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati, lawmaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Secretary of Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei, Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, President of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council Hassan Rohani, former First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref, and former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he is still hopeful that his close ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei would be approved to compete in the upcoming presidential election.

When asked if the government would support presidential candidate Saeed Jalili in the upcoming election, Ahmadinejad kept silent, the Asriran website reported.

He also refused to comment on the candidates' criticisms of his government.

Iran's Guardian Council approved the names of eight candidates for the election, banning Rahim Mashaei and Former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from the race.

Iran will hold the 11th presidential election on June 14, 2013.

The voters will select the successor of the current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is not able to participate in the elections for the third term according to the country's constitutional laws.

The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term.

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