Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registers to run for president – again

Controversial former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once more signed up to become Iran’s next president, but the anticipated top candidates for the June election have yet to register.

The ultraconservative, who was president from 2005 to 2013, tried to run again in 2017 but was disqualified by the Guardian Council – a constitutional vetting body comprised of six clerics and six legal experts.

Observers say that the divisive figure, who still has followers among some portions of the Iranian population, will likely be disqualified again.

Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini

Khamenei promised on Tuesday to exert zero influence in the June 18 election that will see relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani replaced after fulfilling two terms.

Ahmadinejad entered the interior ministry on Wednesday, the second day of candidate registration, with a crowd of his supporters surrounding him – breaking COVID-19 protocols that allow candidates to only be accompanied by one person into the registration area.

Screaming and chanting slogans, some of his entourage scuffled with interior ministry staff as he was entering. After registering, Ahmadinejad climbed a fence outside to wave to his fervent supporters.

In a press conference following registration, the former president whose controversial re-election sparked the 2009 Green Movement and protests, cast doubt on the veracity and popularity of Iranian elections in the years following his presidency. He said presidential elections have now become an “empty drum” and said authorities do not disclose transparent figures.

“If I’m disqualified, I won’t support the elections and I won’t vote,” he said, also claiming that the country’s deep woes cannot be fixed with the current governance style.