TEHRAN— As the registration for the upcoming presidential elections closed on Saturday, the Tehran Times has decided to provide the respectful readers with brief introductions of prominent presidential candidates. This series of introduction will continue tomorrow.

Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi

Currently serving as the head of the Judiciary, Iran’s chief justice was born in 1960. He is considered a principlist politician. Raeisi has served in various positions in the judicial system, such as deputy chief justice from 2004 to 2014, and attorney general from 2014 to 2016. 

He is also a member of the Assembly of Experts tasked to elect and monitor the performance of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. He was elected to the assembly for the first time in the 2006 election from South Khorasan province. 

Raeisi is one of the politicians who is subject to the U.S and the European Union sanctions. He was blacklisted in November 2019. 

He has stated that he is seeking to establish a “strong Iran” if elected president in the June 18 polls. 

Gaining a reputation for countering the corrupt and the embezzlers in the Judiciary, he said that he is in the race to “dry the corrupt substrates from the root and turn inefficiencies into efficiencies.”

Raeisi considers himself “part the people, with the people and by the people,” and believes that with the help of the people, he can overcome the problems.

Ali Larijani

Ali Larijani, the former Parliament speaker, was born in 1957. He has served in various positions during his political career. From being the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Broadcasting (IRIB) to being the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and chief nuclear negotiator in that position.

He is the longest-serving parliament speaker. He headed the parliament for three consecutive terms

He ran unsuccessfully in the 2005 elections, winning only 6% of votes. 

He is referred to as a "center-right politician who has gradually distanced himself from the principlist camp" and a "conservative-turned-moderate."

Larijani believes that the main goal of the foreign policy should be to facilitate foreign relations for the economic development of the country. 

“The experience of countries that have experienced economic leaps over the last 20 years shows that their foreign policy and economy have pursued the same goal and foreign policy has served the development of the country,” Larijani said in a press conference on Saturday after registering to run for the presidential post. 

He said that he is looking to unfreeze the blocked Iranian assets in banks worldwide as soon as possible. 

“Good governance depends on less rhetoric and more effective rationality,” the philosopher-turned politician believes. 

Mohsen Rezaei

Major General Mohsen Rezaei was born in 1954. He led the Islamic Revolution Guards Corp for 17 years, from 1980 to 1997. He has received the first grade Order of Fath by the Commander-in-Chief three times, holding a record among military officials. 

Rezaei ran for president twice in 2009 and 2013, losing to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hassan Rouhani respectively.

Stating that today is not a day to promise but a day to act, he believes that Iran needs a new path.

“We are ready to bring happiness back to Iranian families,” he said at the press conference held after registering at the Ministry of Interior on Saturday to run for president.

The former IRGC chief said if he succeeds to win the presidency, his administration will be seeking to bring back economic stability. 

“I’m not here to cover up the truth. We will tell everything to the people honestly,” he claimed. 

Stating that he has come to “shield” people against difficulties and not to use the people as shields, Rezaei said that he has plans to bring welfare for the people. 

“We will initiate a structural change in the administration of the country,” he promised.

SA/PA