On the last day to submit applications for the presidential elections scheduled to take place in Iran on the 28th of this month, the hardline Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf submitted his candidacy. On Monday, he arrived at the application center accompanied by his supporters and chants from his backers, just as former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did the day before. However, he refused to answer journalists' questions when asked for clarification regarding the fate of his presidency in Parliament.
Failed Presidential Attempts
This decision follows his election for a second term as head of the legislative council at the end of last month (June 2024). After a series of failed presidential attempts and 12 years as the mayor of Tehran, during which he expanded the Tehran Metro and supported the construction of modern tall buildings, he was re-elected last week as the speaker of Parliament.
There are no laws preventing the Parliament Speaker from running for the presidency in Iran, but the final word will be issued in the coming days by the Guardian Council regarding the qualifications and legality of the candidates, who currently number around 19, amid reports of the current interim president Mohammad Mokhber also running.
A Revolutionary Guardsman
It is noted that many Iranians recognize Qalibaf as a general in the Revolutionary Guards, where he held various military positions over the years. He later participated in the violent crackdown on university students in Iran in 1999. It is also reported that he ordered the use of live ammunition against students in 2003 while serving as the country's police chief. His history has played a role in many of his past runs for the presidency, but he has lost all of them.
