Iranian news agency "IRNA" reported that Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, 53 years old, withdrew his candidacy for the presidential elections on Wednesday. He urged other candidates to do the same "to strengthen the front of the revolution." Ghazizadeh Hashemi previously served as one of the deputies for Raisi and as head of the Foundation for Martyrs and Veterans Affairs. He ran in the 2021 presidential elections, obtaining just under one million votes and finishing last.
Polls indicate that about 61 million citizens are eligible to vote tomorrow to select a new president for Iran, succeeding the late Ibrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash on May 19. A recent opinion poll conducted by the research center of the Consultative Assembly (parliament) showed Bezhakian leading the list of candidates to win the elections. The poll indicated that Bezhakian received 23.5% of the votes, while Ghalibaf came in second with 16.9%, ahead of Jalili with 16.3%. The research center noted that 45.7% of participants in the poll stated they would definitely participate in the elections, while 31.6% expressed uncertainty, and 22.6% confirmed they would not participate.
