Iranian presidential candidate Alireza Zakani has formally pulled out of the country’s presidential race, becoming the second nominee to announce his withdrawal in support of other contenders just a day before the election.
The 58-year-old Zakani, the current mayor of the capital Tehran, made the announcement in a post published on his official X account on Thursday.
He stressed that remaining on the path of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi, who passed away in a helicopter crash along with his companions in the northwestern province of East Azarbaijan on May 19, is of much greater significance than his candidacy.
He pleaded with fellow candidates Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Saeed Jalili to unite in order to secure victory for the "Revolutionary Front".
Earlier, another candidate Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, 53, pulled out from the race. Hashemi is currently serving as the vice president.
The remaining contenders in Iran’s presidential race are Saeed Jalili, a former lead nuclear negotiator, Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former interior minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, and former health minister Masoud Pezeshkian.
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