Two hardline candidates withdrew from Iran’s presidential election on Thursday, a day before the pivotal vote, and urged unity among supporters of the country’s Islamic revolution, according to state media.
The tightly controlled election on Friday follows the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month, with the outcome expected to impact the succession plans for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the clerically-ruled state.
Alireza Zakani, Tehran’s mayor, and Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, head of the Martyrs’ Foundation, exited the race, state media reported. A June 22-23 poll by the Iran Students Polling Centre indicated they were likely to secure only 1.7% and 2% of the votes, respectively.
Their withdrawal leaves four remaining presidential candidates. Zakani called on the two leading hardline contenders, Saeed Jalili and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, to join forces to prevent moderate candidate Masoud Pezeshkian from winning.
“I urge Saeed Jalili and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf to unite and respond to the demands of the revolutionary forces,” Zakani wrote on X, referring to the former nuclear negotiator and the parliament speaker and former head of the Revolutionary Guards.
Khamenei, who is 85 years old, has ensured that candidates sharing his hardline views dominate the presidential contest. The president of Iran traditionally plays a crucial role in the selection of the supreme leader.
The elections are taking place amidst heightened tensions with Israel over the Gaza conflict, Western pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear activities, and increasing domestic discontent over political, social, and economic challenges.
Pezeshkian, a former health minister, enjoys the endorsement of Iran’s politically marginalized reformist faction, which advocates for dialogue with the West. However, his prospects remain uncertain, with dissidents inside and outside Iran calling for a boycott of the election.
