Hard-line Iranian cleric files to run for president

Hard-line Iranian cleric Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday filed to run for president, making it his second attempt at the presidency.

Raisi, Iran’s judiciary chief, will be in the running for the Islamic Republic’s presidential election in June, throwing his name in on the last day of registration, The Associated Press reported.

Raisi is running an anti-corruption campaign and has close ties to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Those who founded and partnered with the current situation can’t claim they can change it,” Raisi said when speaking on corruption. “People are complaining about the current situation. They are upset. Their disappointment is on the rise. This should be stopped.”

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs ran a poll in Iran that showed Raisi having the highest approval rating among the candidates at 27 percent, according to AP.

Raisi is burdened by his role in the 1988 mass executions that happened towards the end of the Iran and Iraq war and he did not mention it in his 2017 run for office. 

The vote for the president is June 18 with the final list of candidates being released May 27 followed by a 20-day campaign season. 

Whenever Raisi registered, other hard-liners dropped out of the race and boosted his chances towards the presidency, AP noted. 

The next Iranian president will be tasked with negotiations for countries to rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal.