A member of the Coalition of Three has suggested that the group may support Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili for the June vote.
Principlist presidential hopeful Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said on Sunday that the group is open to new figures. “We said from the very beginning that the coalition’s door is closed to no one.”
Referring to Jalili’s candidacy, the Iranian lawmaker said the coalition would wait to see if he gains high approval ratings in the polls before making any decisions.
Jalili signed up to participate in Iran’s 11th presidential election before the registration deadline ended on Saturday. A total of 686 individuals have signed up for the race.
Haddad-Adel said the aim of forming a coalition was to prevent the plurality of candidates among principlist figures, adding that the coalition will employ various mechanisms, including pre-election surveys, to field a single candidate.
Another member of the Coalition of Three, former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, also said on Sunday that the group would endorse Jalili provided that top clerics throw their weight behind him.
The Coalition of Three brings together Velayati, former Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel and Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election. The Guardian Council is mandated with vetting the hopefuls.
The Iranian Constitution stipulates that presidential candidates must be religious or political figures, be Iranian in origin, have Iranian citizenship, be resourceful, have managerial skills, have no criminal record, be trustworthy and pious, and have firm belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the country’s official religion.
By Press TV
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