Iran’s main clerical circles in the religious city of Qom announced Monday their support for conservative candidate Ali-Akbar Velayati in the presidential vote.
It had been unclear whether the influential clerical circles in Qom, the county’s Shiite stronghold, would opt for Velayati or hardliner Saeid Jalili, who is the only candidate also backed by supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In a ceremony Monday in presence of Velayati at the Imam Hassan mosque in Qom, a spokesman representing several clerical circles, including the Society of Islamic Combatants and Society of Qom Theological Lecturers, announced their support for the former foreign minister.
“It is a privilege for me to be acknowledged by high-ranking clergies and theological scholars in the holy city of Qom and if elected, I will do my best to fulfil the expectations,” Velayati said.
Velayati is a close aide of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who according to the constitution has the final say on all state affairs. For the last 16 years, he also acted as Khamenei’s foreign policy advisor.
There was speculation that hardliner Jalili would be the ideal option for the religious circles due to his loyalty to the Islamic system and uncompromising stance against the West.
“But the main clerical circles opted for Velayati because with Jalili, there was concern that there would be another Ahmadinejad and another four years of hardline policies and political adventurism,” one of the religious lecturers in Qom said in condition of anonymity.
The lecturer added that also within the Experts Assembly, the country’s highest clerical body, the majority of the 86 members, including assembly chairman Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi-Kani, were in favour of Velayati rather than Jalili.
In a related report earlier Monday, Gholam-Ali Hadad-Adel withdrew from Iran’s presidential race in a move that is set to boost the chances of two other conservative candidates.
Velayati and Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf are now the two main conservative candidates in Friday’s election.
The reformist camp has also called for a compromise candidate, but Hassan Rowhani and Mohammad-Reza Aref have yet to find an agreement.
The divisions among conservatives and reformists might benefit Jalili, a hardliner who is seen as being able to intercept the support from both the conservative wing and supporters of outgoing President Ahmadinejad.
Of the remaining seven candidates, two are independents with little chance of winning the race, according to observers.