Iran’s government spokesman, Gholam Hossein Elham is to run for president, Mohammad Rahmani an aide to Elham told Iran’sView on Thursday.
“Given to the increased requests from the youths and revolutionary people, Dr. Elham is to register in the presidential election,” he said.
Elham has held a variety of posts over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s two terms and was a member of the Guardian Council.
Given to possibility of Ahmadinejad’s top aide, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaee will register in the election, Elham’s candidacy will add to complexity of upcoming Iran’s presidential election. It is not clear Ahmadinejad will support which one of his close aides.
But Elham’s aide said in an interview with Iran’sView that “he will not withdraw from election race on behalf of Mashaee,” who possibly will run as the government backed candidate.”
Some political activists believes that Elham is Ahmadinejad’s alternative candidate to replace Mashaee in case he denied by Guradian Council.
But former Ahmadinejad administration’s Minister of Justice, Elham, will not run as “candidate of the government”, Rahmani said. “he will run for president as the candidate of 3rd Tir Current.” Third Tir or July 24 is the date Ahmadinejad won the 2005 presidential election.
While Saturday is last day of Candidate registration process, Rahmani didn’t give an exact date of Elham register his candidacy but he said “Youth supporters of Dr.Elham will gather front of his home tomorrow afternoon and will not leave until he go and register for presidential election.”
Bahman Sharifzade a cleric close close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s top aide, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaee, said in an interview with Shargh newspaper that Mahaee will register for presidential election on Saturday which is last day of Candidate registration for the presidential election.
