Following the official announcement of qualified candidates for the 12th presidential election scheduled for May 19, Ali Nikzad has been announced to head the presidential campaign for the Chief Custodian of Astan Quds Razavi, Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, the front-runner for the Principlists and main rival of incumbent President Hassan Rouhani.
Nikzad is the governor of Ardabil and former minister of Roads and Urban Development in Ahmadinejad’s cabinet.
Masoud Mirkazemi, minister of commerce during the first term of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency, has been chosen as the head of planning committee for Raeisi’s presidential campaign.
Other qualified presidential candidates are incumbent President Hassan Rouhani and his First VP Es’hagh Jahangiri, the mayor of Tehran Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mostafa Aghamirsalim, and former VP Seyyed Mostafa Hashemitaba.
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