Tehran Mayor Quits Race for Iran Presidency
In suspending his campaign, the third unsuccessful run he has made at the presidency, Mr. Qalibaf released a statement calling the Rouhani camp of moderates
and reformists "pseudorevolutionaries" who are "consuming the roots of the revolution like termites." The denunciation was in keeping with the bitter tone of a campaign in which the candidates have characterized one another as corrupt, liars and enemies of the revolution.
By THOMAS ERDBRINKMAY 15, 2017
TEHRAN — One of the leading hard-line candidates for Iran’s presidency withdrew from the race
on Monday, in a move aimed at consolidating the conservative vote ahead of Friday’s election.
Two other minor candidates are expected to withdraw before Friday, making the race a showdown between Mr. Raisi
and Mr. Rouhani, clerics who hold strongly opposing views of Iran’s future.
The candidate, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, threw his support behind Ebrahim Raisi, a former top
official of the judiciary, who is seen as the main threat to the moderate incumbent, President Hassan Rouhani.
Recent polls have put the combined support for the two conservative candidates at just over 50 percent, with Mr. Rouhani at around 42 percent.
Mr. Rouhani said on Monday that he needed a strong victory to gain the mandate to carry out changes leading
to more personal freedoms, something he promised in his first campaign but was never able to deliver.