TEHRAN, Iran

Former Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, a prominent reformist figure, has joined the race to become Iran’s next president.

Jahangiri, who served as the first vice president in Hassan Rouhani’s government for two consecutive terms between 2013 and 2021, was one of the last candidates to join the race on Monday, the final day of registration for the upcoming polls.

The snap vote is slated to be held on June 28 after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran on May 19.

Iran’s election supervisory body, the Guardian Council, began the vetting process for candidates on Tuesday and will release the list of qualified candidates on June 11.

Candidates approved by the 12-member vetting body will have two weeks to campaign before the voting takes place on June 28, according to election authorities.

Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, Jahangiri, whose candidature was rejected by the Guardian Council in 2021, said problems must be solved through “consensus” among all pillars of the system.

He said Iran faces a “complex situation” and people grapple with “hardships.” He opined that the achievements made “haven’t created a sense of growth and development.”

“Our main priorities will be people's livelihood and comprehensive development, addressing imbalances, expanding employment, creating regional balance, ensuring public health, education, security, and protecting the environment,” he said.

Tough choice

Observers believe that Jahangiri’s entry has made the choice tough for voters, as Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker, is also in the race and is believed to have the backing of the reformist camp.

Larijani’s candidacy was also rejected by the Guardian Council in the 2021 presidential election, which left the former top banker Abdolnasser Hemmati as the lone challenger to Raisi.

Before becoming vice president under Rouhani, Jahangiri served as the minister of industries and mines between 1997 and 2005 under President Mohammad Khatami.

The veteran reformist politician was also the governor of the central Isfahan province between 1992 and 1997. Before that, he represented the southeastern Kerman province in the parliament for two terms between 1984 and 1992.

Jahangiri previously joined the race for the presidency in 2013 as well but withdrew in favor of Hashemi Rafsanjani, whose candidature was later rejected by the Guardian Council.

After Rouhani, a low-profile reformist figure who received public backing from Rafsanjani and Jahangiri, was elected president in 2013, he picked Jahangiri as his first deputy.

In the 2017 election, Jahangiri again filed his nomination and was approved by the Guardian Council. However, after televised debates, he withdrew in favor of the eventual winner Rouhani.

It remains to be seen if the Guardian Council will approve his candidacy this time. Many pundits believe one of them – Jahangiri or Larijani – will advance as the reformist candidate.