Iran’s Ahmadinejad says he won’t endorse other candidates

After he and Hamid Baghaei, his deputy and presidential-hopeful, were barred on Khamenei’s advice from running in the polls.

In this April 12, 2017 picture, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) and his close ally Hamid Baghaei (right) shake hands after registering their candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections at the Interior Ministry in Tehran. Mr. Ahmadinejad has said he will not endorse other candidates after he and Mr. Baghaei were barred by Supreme Leader Khamenei from running in the polls

Iran’s former hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that he won’t endorse other candidates in next month’s election, after he and his deputy were barred from running.

“We clearly announce that we have not and will not support any candidate in the upcoming elections,” he said in a letter, signed by himself and his former deputy and presidential-hopeful Hamid Baghaei.

Both were barred from running on Thursday by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council, which vets candidates for public elections.

Khamenei decided it

Mr. Ahmadinejad’s candidacy came against the advice of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who said it would “polarise” the nation.

But the council's spokesman on Sunday said his disqualification was not related to the leader's advice.

Campaigning began on Friday for the May 19 presidential election with incumbent Hassan Rouhani facing a tough battle against two conservative rivals — cleric and judge Ebrahim Raisi and Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Mr. Ahmadinejad’s anti-Israel rhetoric and nuclear ambitions saw Iran increasingly isolated from the outside world. He is still popular among the poor sections of the society, who were fond of his populist policies such as distributing monthly cash handouts.