IN THE WORLD TODAY

Hardliner to run again for office

IRAN’S former firebrand president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will run again for office in upcoming elections in June, raising the possibility of a bolstered hardline leadership at a time of tense negotiations with the West.

Thronged by shouting supporters, Ahmadinejad marched to a registration centre at the Interior Ministry where he filled out registration forms.

He held up his hands in a “V for Victory” salute, before addressing reporters.

“My presence today for registration was based on demand by millions for my participation in the election,” he said, adding that the move also came after “considering the situation of the country, and the necessity for a revolution in the management of the country”.

Ahmadinejad has in recent years tried to polish his hardline image into a more centrist candidacy, criticising the government for mismanagement.

The Holocaust-denier has previously been banned from running for the presidency by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2017, although he registered anyway.

A constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, ultimately disqualified him.

Ayatollah Khamenei says he will not oppose the nomination of any candidate, although the electoral council may still block

Ahmadinejad’s candidacy.

Iran opened registration on Tuesday, kicking off the race as uncertainty looms over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers and tensions remain high with the West.

President Hassan Rouhani cannot run again due to term limits, yet with the poll just a month away, no favourite has yet emerged.