President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) accompanies his aide Esfandiyar Rahim-Mashaei to the Interior Ministry for registration in the upcoming presidential election, May 11, 2013.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has pledged to pursue the Guardian Council (GC)’s decision not to approve his top aide, Esfandiyar Rahim-Mashaei, as a candidate to run in next monthâ„¢s presidential election.
On Tuesday night, the Interior Ministry issued a statement saying that the Guardian Council, which vets presidential hopefuls for official candidacy, had approved eight individuals who had signed up for the race.
Rahim-Mashaei and former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani were not among the individuals approved by the Council.
Voicing his tacit dissatisfaction with the Councilâ„¢s decision on Mashaei, Ahmadinejad said, Å“I ask those who support me and Mr. Mashaei to be patient, because there will be no problem because of the presence of the Leader [of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei],” Ahmadinejad told reporters on Wednesday.
The Iranian president said he would vigorously pursue the matter by seeking help from the Leader, so that the issue will – God willing – be resolved.
Ahmadinejad noted that he lent support to Mashaei because he believes his aide has what it takes to run the country for the next four years.
In a statement issued late on Tuesday, the election campaign office of Rahim-Mashaei announced it will pursue the matter through legal channels and use Å“the full legal capacity of the country.”
Meanwhile, Eshaq Jahangiri, the head of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjaniâ„¢s election campaign office, has said the former president, who has not been approved either, will not object to the Guardian Council’s decision.
A total of 686 individuals had registered from May 7 to 11 for the Islamic Republicâ„¢s 11th presidential election, which will be held on June 14.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election.
ASH/NN/HJL
This article originally appeared on : Press TV