Iran Today: Are Jalili And Rafsanjani The Front-Runners?

In Front Of Rafsanjani? Saeed Jalili Tweets Photograph Of Himself And Former President

The big political development on Thursday was the confirmation of Saeed Jalili, the Secretary of the National Security Council, as a front-runner in the Presidential election.

While there had been rumours of Jalili's candidacy since late last year, his name had not figured in the reckoning for the Supreme Leader's endorsement or even for an "independent" run. It is now clear, however, that his team had been planning an intensive media campaign, long before Jalili registered last weekend.

That campaign escalated on Thursday with a series of interviews and social media initiatives. Jalili has positioned himself --- to the Supreme Leader and to Iranians --- as the one man who can stop former President Hashemi Rafsanjani.

One picture said far more than a thousand words: Jalili, statesmanlike at a podium delivering a speech, while an out-of-focus Rafsanjani looked on from his chair behind the platform.

The Guardian Council asked on Thursday for five more days to confirm its vetting of candidates, so the final shape of the race is yet to come.

However, we are now predicting that --- unless Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, a member of the Supreme Leader's 2+1 Committee, can somehow persuade Ayatollah Khamenei's camp to back him --- it will be Jalili in the final showdown on 21 June with Rafsanjani.

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Presidential Election Watch: 40 MPs Express Support For Rafsanjani

A group of 40 MPs have signed a letter in support of former President and Presidential candidate Hashemi Rafsanjani, according to Tabnak, the news site close to former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei, who is also running for President.

The move comes after a group of 100 lawmakers signed a letter to the Guardian Council asking that body to disqualify Rafsanjani.

Tabnak also cited one lawmaker, Mohsen Kohkan, as saying that it was not right to put pressure on the Guardian Council, a decision-making body, to accept or reject a particular candidate.

Presidential Election Watch: No Women Allowed

A member of the Guardian Council, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, has declared that the "law does not approve'' of a woman in the presidency and a woman on the ballot is "not allowed".

Although few would have expected any female candidates to be accepted by the Guardian Council given the prominent figures that are currently dominating the election build-up, 30 women did register as candidates.

Presidential Election Watch: Attacking Rafsanjani

Presidential hopeful Alireza Zakani has criticised former president Hashemi Rafsanjani for “blunders” during his time in his office.

Zakani said “Despite his services in the past, Mr. Hashemi has proved that he is a man [prone to] huge mistakes.”

He also predicted that the former president would be defeated in the election but urged his fellow principlists to unite together against their rivals.

Presidential Election Watch: Rahim-Mashaei Edition

PeykeIran reports that roshanaee.ir, a site close to Ahmadinejad’s right-hand man and presidential candidate, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, is currently being filtered.

Presidential Election Watch: Jalili Edition

In an interview with London’s Financial Times Presidential candidate and nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, discussed his reasons for registering for the election.

When asked whether he had chosen to run in response to the candidacies of Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim-Mashaei, Jalili stated:

Usually when a candidate decides to run he looks at other candidates. If there is a more qualified candidate, you do not join [the race]. But if you feel that it is necessary for you to run then you go ahead. The decision to run cannot be seen separately from [the qualifications] of other candidates.

Jalili added that while he had not spoken with other conservative candidates, such as Ali Akbar Velayati and Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, about them withdrawing from the race to support his campaign, what was clear was “the unity of discourse [ie our common agendas] and [political] currents.”

Responding to a question about his lack of economic experience, he dismissed the impact of the western sanctions by suggesting that “At least over the past few years when I have been carefully following the effects of sanctions, I see that they can be easily bypassed and turned into opportunities.”

Conspiracy Theory Of The Day: Israel Supports Jabhat Al-Nusra

It seemed hard to beat: a report in Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post this week suggesting that Israel conducted airstrikes against Syrian targets to assist Hezbollah and Iran.

Nevertheless, Iran's hardline outlet Mashregh News was undaunted, stepping up to the challenge on Friday with this: Mashregh suggests the Israel Air Force bombed sites in Syria to bolster Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra.

Mashregh suggested that the IAF bombed Syria to strengthen "Salafist terrorists" by attempting (and failing) to weaken the Syrian Army by provoking Syrian president Bashar al-Assad into a military response against Israel.

Presidential Election Watch: Jalili Edition

Presidential candidate and chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili takes care to emphasize --- through social media --- that he is heeding the Supreme Leader's directive that candidates be mindful of their campaign promises and not to promise too much.

I asked friends to put our manifesto for campigning on the website. And whoever is going to campaign for me must follow that. #Iranelection

— Dr Saeed Jalili (@DrSaeedJalili) May 16, 2013

Jalili --- or his campaign team --- has shown astute use of the internet and social media, including microblogging site Twitter, where he is usin a hashtag, #jalili, for his online campaign. Jalili has also created a campaign website, which features his campaign logo --- a stylized version of his name in the colors of the Iranian flag:

Jalili's Campaign Logo