ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two candidates have pulled out of Iran’s presidential race on Thursday, a day before the Iranians head to the ballot boxes to elect the successor to the late president Ibrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash last month.
Alireza Zakani, an ultraconservative candidate from Tehran announced his withdrawal from the race, a day after the Iranian interior ministry announced the exit of Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, another ultraconservative candidate, leaving four names to compete for the post.
In his message on X, Zakani asked former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and the current parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to “unite and not leave the rightful demands of the revolutionary forces unanswered.”
Zakani also urged the two candidates “to prevent the formation of Rouhani's third government,” alluding to the presence of the sole reformist candidate in the race Massoud Pezeshkian, who is supported by former president Hassan Rouhani.
“In response to the written request of the High Council of Revolutionary Forces Consensus and some scholars and well-wishers, I have withdrawn from continuing the path,” Ghazizadeh-Hashemi said on X on Wednesday, and asked the remaining conservative candidates to agree on one candidate.
“Hope that my three other brothers will also come to a consensus in the remaining time to strengthen the revolutionary front,” he added.
Ghalibaf on Thursday thanked both Ghazizadeh-Hashemi and Zakani, on X, for their withdrawal and “accepting the demands of the revolutionary forces for coalition and unity.”
Ghalibaf vowed to continue the path of Raisi.
“We stand firm until an efficient and revolutionary government is formed,” he said.
Iranians on Friday will go to the polls to elect a new president one month after Raisi died in a helicopter crash.
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