When Ebrahim Raisi, the custodian of Iran’s largest religious endowment, announced his entrance into the 2017 presidential election, he stressed that he would run as an independent for all Iranians and “apart from the current political groupings.” Even before the announcement, Raisi had gone to great lengths to not get involved in partisan bickering and avoided directly attacking incumbent President Hassan Rouhani by name. However, not only can Raisi’s credentials as a conservative candidate not be denied, there are growing signs that Raisi’s presidency would in policy resemble that of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s divisive eight years.

In one of his first moves since being one of the six candidates approved to run, Raisi chose Ali Nikzad as his chief of staff. Nikzad served as minister of transportation and housing, minister of housing and urban development, and acting minister of information and communications technology under Ahmadinejad’s second term, a time when the president was bringing like-minded allies into his Cabinet while purging it of traditional conservatives.

In his latest public meeting on April 22, which was shared on his website, Raisi met with Saeed Jalili, former hard-line nuclear negotiator under Ahmadinejad. Raisi’s website shared a friendly picture of the two smiling and walking together. The following day Jalili told Tasnim News Agency that of the remaining candidates, Raisi was the best choice. Jalili has been one of the most vocal critics of Rouhani, especially with respect to the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers, which is the landmark achievement for Rouhani and Iranians who are seeking better relations with Western countries.

The meeting between Jalili and Raisi was not just a photo-op either. Mohammad Javad Abtahi, a conservative parliamentarian with the hard-line Endurance Front, told Entekhab website April 23 that the meeting took place for Jalili to share his views on foreign policy. Abtahi also said there is the possibility that Raisi would ask Jalili to join his Cabinet.