Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Planning to Join Presidential Race, State Media Reports
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has signed up to participate in his country's presidential election on June 28. He will need approval from the Guardian Council, who will publish a list of eligible candidates on the 11th of June.
Ahmadinejad, a previous member of Iran's prestigious Revolutionary Guards, was initially voted into the presidency in 2005 but retired in 2013 due to term limitations. In the 2017 election, he was denied the chance to run by the Guardian Council after receiving a warning from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that it wasn't in his best interest nor the nation's.
A dispute between the two arose when Ahmadinejad strongly advocated for checks on Khamenei's supreme authority. Two years prior to that, Ahmadinejad, in an unprecedented move, wrote an open letter to Khamenei demanding "free" elections.
Khamenei had once backed Ahmadinejad following the latter's 2009 re-election, which prompted widespread protests where numerous individuals were killed and many more arrested. The regime responded furiously with the help of the IRGC to quell the rebellion.
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Mahmadinejad's potential return to the presidential race in Iran has sparked interest in the Middle East and beyond, given his past controversial policies during his tenure. Despite the current political tensions in the Middle East, the world is closely watching the outcome of the Iranian election.
