Iran General NewsIran's Rafsanjani says may stand for presidency

Iran’s Rafsanjani says may stand for presidency

-

Reuters: Iranian political heavyweight and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has said he is considering standing for the presidency in polls next year, according to a newspaper.
Rafsanjani, a business-minded, mid-ranking cleric would be a strong candidate for president with the likely support of Iran’s resurgent conservatives. He is also a top advisor to Iran’s most powerful figure Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Reuters

TEHRAN – Iranian political heavyweight and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has said he is considering standing for the presidency in polls next year, according to a newspaper.

Rafsanjani, a business-minded, mid-ranking cleric would be a strong candidate for president with the likely support of Iran’s resurgent conservatives. He is also a top advisor to Iran’s most powerful figure Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“If there is no other suitable candidate, I will run in the next presidential elections for the sake of Islam and the revolution,” the Hambastegi daily on Saturday quoted the 70-year old as saying in a speech to students in the holy city of Qom.

“I have told the supreme leader not to order me and to let doors be opened for other candidates,” he added.

Rafsanjani had previously played down interest in running for president when reformist President Mohammad Khatami has to step down after two terms in office in the middle of next year.

Rafsanjani is seen as a pragmatic conservative whose 1989-1997 presidency was marked by modest cultural relaxations and pushes for economic restructuring.

He heads the Expediency Council, Iran’s top legislative arbitration council. The Expediency Council this month overhauled a key plank of the constitution to allow large-scale privatisations.

Although viewed as business-minded, in contrast to radical conservative parliamentarians, Rafsanjani has recently been keen to deny that he has amassed great wealth.

He has been plagued by rumours he and his proteges have huge holdings in pistachio farming, airlines and car industry. He says he is poorer now than before the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Latest news

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Iran’s Youths Have Highest Unemployment Rate

The Iranian regime’s Eghtesad News website reported that data from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that the youth...

Must read

Nuclear watchdog debate to urge Iran talks

Reuters: Most members of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's governing...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you