Skip to main content

Is Ahmadinejad defying Khamenei’s 'advice' to abandon ambitions?

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is believed to be back in the game with his former deputy’s announcement that he intends to run in the upcoming presidential elections.
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sits in a chair after addressing the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 26, 2012. REUTERS/Keith Bedford (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR38G44

On Feb. 20, former Iranian Vice President Hamid Baghaei announced his intention to run in the country’s May 19 presidential election amid efforts among conservatives to reach a consensus over a single nominee. As such, Baghaei, who served as deputy to former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is now, in effect, the representative of Ahmadinejad’s circle in the upcoming elections.

Ahmadinejad, who reportedly sought to run for office once again, was publicly “advised” by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei not to seek the presidency again due to concerns about a repetition of the widespread unrest that followed Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009. That vote eight years ago saw tense competition between opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, who are now under house arrest, and Ahmadinejad. Mousavi and Karroubi objected to the results, saying the balloting was rigged.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.