Rumor is already spreading in Iran’s political circles about two former conservative presidential candidates’ determination to run in the 2020 parliamentary elections, a highly important vote that could help clarify the blurriness of what may be ahead in the 2021 presidential polls.

Ebrahim Raisi, who was the primary candidate of the conservatives in the 2017 presidential elections and who lost to incumbent moderate Hassan Rouhani, is rumored to be back on the stage to once again test his popularity on the political stage.

Prior to the 2017 elections, Raisi was rarely involved in political and partisan debates and issues. However, it has always been crystal clear for most observers in Iran where his roots lie.

Raisi spent most of his career in Iran’s judiciary and was the deputy chief justice from 2004 to 2014, though his position was weakened under current judiciary chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani. In an unexpected appointment by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi was named in March 2016 the custodian of the holy shrine of the eighth Shiite imam, gaining control of one of the wealthiest foundations in Iran. With his power rising due to his position at the shrine, conservatives gained a new face to put forward for the 2017 elections, leading to his nomination.