With just one day to go before the Guardian Council makes its decisions as to which of the almost 700 Presidential hopefuls can run in the June 14 election, two prominent figures have announced their withdrawals.Foreign Ministry spokesman Rahim Mehmanparast announced he is stepping down from the race, even before the Guardian Council announced whether it approved his candidacy. Davood Ahmadinejad, brother of outgoing President Ahmadinehad, has said he is stepping down in favor of Supreme National Security Council secretary Saeed Jalili.
However, the outline of the campaign is still far from clear, with the spokesman for the Guardian Council announcing on Sunday that the supervisory body could approve up to 40 candidates. The key questions remain: will the Council approve former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and President Ahmadinejad's chosen successor, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai?
Presidential Election Watch: Jalili Edition
Davood Ahmadinejad Steps Down In Favor of Jalili
Davood Ahmadinejad, brother of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,has announcedhe is stepping down from the Presidential race in favor of Saeed Jalili.
Jalili noted the move on his Twitter account.
Dawoud#Ahmadinejad, President Ahmadinejad's brother withrew from#Iranelectionin favor of Saeed#Jalili.#Iran
Dr Saeed Jalili (@DrSaeedJalili)May 19, 2013
Presidential Election Watch: Mehmanparast Withdraws
Iran's former Foreign Ministry spokesman, Rahmin Mehmanparast,has announcedthat he is withdrawing his candidacy from the Presidential election.
Mehmanparast said that the great Iranian nation was on the eve of an "epic" --- a nod to the Supreme Leader's call on Nowruz for Iranians to make the new Persian year a "political epic" --- but that because other likeminded individuals had entered the Presidential race, he had taken the decision not to run.
Before announcing his decision to withdraw, Mehmanparast had accused the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization of attempting to prevent a large turnout in the June elections.
By Enduring America
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