Conservatives to Benefit from Ahmadinejad’s Absence from Iran Presidential Votes

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. During the meeting, the former president was advised against running for the next year’s presidential elections as it would cause division within the society.

In an interview with Entekhab, as translated by IFP, Gholam-Reza Mesbahi Moqaddam, a senior conservative, noted that the conservative camp benefited the most from Ahmadinejad’s absence.

“Now that Ahmadinejad will not run for presidency, it will be much easier for conservatives to agree on choosing one candidate for 2017 Presidential elections,” Mesbahi Moqaddam noted.

“His presence in upcoming elections could cause division, because a major share of conservatives don’t believe in him, and if he would run for presidency, conservatives had to choose two candidates for the polls,” he added.

Mesbahi Moqaddam also dismissed the rumours about possible disqualification of President Hassan Rouhani from running for next year’s presidential votes, and said that it is very unlikely.