Iran's hardline former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has announced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election on June 28, following the recent death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
This move, reported by state television on Sunday, marks Ahmadinejad's return to the political arena.
However, Ahmadinejad's candidacy remains uncertain as the cleric-led Guardian Council is responsible for vetting all candidates. The Council will publish the list of qualified candidates on June 11.
Ahmadinejad, a former member of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), previously served as president from 2005 to 2013, stepping down due to term limits.
In 2017, the Guardian Council barred him from running, following a warning from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who stated that Ahmadinejad’s candidacy was "not in his interest and that of the country." A notable rift between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei emerged when the former president began advocating for checks on Khamenei’s authority.
In 2018, Ahmadinejad made rare public criticism of Khamenei, calling for "free" elections in a letter addressed to the Supreme Leader. Despite Khamenei’s support during Ahmadinejad’s controversial 2009 re-election, which sparked protests resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of arrests, the relationship has since soured. The unrest was eventually quelled by the IRGC.
As Iran approaches this pivotal election, the political landscape remains tense, with Ahmadinejad’s potential candidacy adding another layer of complexity to the unfolding electoral process.
