Post #151325

Iran's parliament speaker Qalibaf signs up for presidential race Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, a former Revolutionary Guards commander, on Monday announced he would run for president to succeed Ebrahim Raisi who died last month in a helicopter crash, state media reported. Qalibaf, who has unsuccessfully contested two presidential races and dropped out of a third to avoid splitting the hardline vote, signed up to run in the June 28 election despite being re-elected as parliament speaker last week. "If I don't present myself as a candidate, the work that we have started in the last few years to solve the people's economic problems and which is reaching fruition, would not be completed," Qalibaf told reporters. read more