Second hardliner in Iran presidential race

Second hardliner in Iran presidential race
By Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: April 30 2009 15:43 | Last updated: April 30 2009 15:43
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8e5cc668-3594-11de-a997-00144feabdc0.html


Mohsen Rezaei, former commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, has announced his intention to run for president, underlining the failure of Iran’s fundamentalists to reach a consensus candidate.

His candidacy will offer fundamentalists an alternative to President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad who is also expected to run in the June elections.

Many conservatives have refused to line up behind the incumbent, accusing Mr Ahmadi-Nejad of neglecting long-term economic planning and adopting policies that have led to 25.4 per cent inflation and 12.5 per cent unemployment.

Mr Rezaei, 55, was Iran’s top commander during the deadly Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988). He left the guards over a decade ago and now holds an influential job as secretary of the Expediency Council which drafts macro economic and political policies.

In a statement on Wednesday, he warned of the “dangers” facing Iran. These included lost economic and political opportunities, high inflation and unemployment, poverty, immorality in politics and a widening gap between the regime and ethnic and religious minorities. He also warned of the creation of a new front in the Islamic world against Iran.

He said he hoped to ease national and international concerns by a reform of the executive, the drafting of long-term strategies and by employing alternative forces committed to the Islamic regime and national interests.

Mr Ahmadi-Nejad isolated many senior officials and diplomats when he came to power on the grounds that they were not loyal enough to the regime.

With the late entrance of Mr Rezaei, Iran’s presidential election now has four main candidates. The reformists, who are also divided, have two nominees: Mir-Hossein Moussavi, a former leftist prime minister between 1981 to 1989, and Mehdi Karroubi, a former reformist parliamentary speaker.

Analysts expect the main competition to be between Mr Ahmadi-Nejad and Mr Moussavi, but they say Mr Karroubi may be able to attract several million votes, unlike Mr Rezaei whose popularity is untested.

Divisions in the two main political camps may mean that no candidate is able to win over 50 per cent of the votes, which is the level required to win the election in the first round on June 12. A second round is considered increasingly likely.