Tehran Mayor a Powerful Contender For Iran’s Presidency

Meir Javedanfar

May 30, 2013

Mayor of Tehran, Iranian Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf attends a press conference after registering his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election at the interior ministry in Tehran on May 11, 2013. Iran will close the five-day registration period for candidates in Iran's June 14 presidential election, with a string of conservative hopefuls in the running but with key reformists yet to come forward, media reports said. AFP PHOTO/BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images) — Mayor of Tehran Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf attends a press conference after registering his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election at the Interior Ministry in Tehran on May 11, 2013. — BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images

Türkçe

In the upcoming elections in Iran, some votes will be more equal than others.

One such vote will be that of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds force. Soleimani is one of the most powerful military officials in Iran. Being the commander of the IRGC Quds force also provides him with political clout, as his position gives him access to the supreme leader, a level that only a few people in the Islamic Republic can match.