Qalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, and Raeisi, the custodian of the holy shrine of Imam Reza [AS] are in the same political grouping where Ghalibaf left the elections to avoid a split in the votes of principlist electorate.
Affiliated with the Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, the two hopefuls are leading challengers to incumbent President Hassan Rouhani’s reelection bid.
In a statement issued on Monday, Ghalibaf announced his official withdrawal from 2017 presidential elections and asked his supporters to apply all their efforts for the success of Seyed Ebrahim Raeisi’s ‘Work and Dignity Government.'
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