Head of an Iranian principlist group, Asadollah Badamchian, says the nomination of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is very important for Iran’s June Presidential election. Badamchian believes that Rafsanjani’s campaign is able to attract more people to cast their ballots.
“Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has made one of his best decisions during the recent years. He is one of the most popular and famous characters of reformists in Iran. Many people believe in his services, and this will take them to vote in upcoming presidential election.” Asadollah Badamchian said on Monday.
Many have criticized Hashemi Rafsanjani for announcing his nomination. According to this group of politicians, Iranians need to have a younger president. Hashemi Rafsanjani is currently 80 years old.
Badamchian also went on to criticize the current system of presidential election in other countries, especially the United States. “In Western countries, only a limited number of political parties are able to introduce their candidates to people. But in Iran, a large number of parties are allowed to present their own nominees.”
It’s worth mentioning that on May 11 2013 Rafsanjani, who was president from 1989 to 1997, registered for the June 14 presidential election with just minutes to spare.
According to official statistics released by Iran’s Interior Ministry, more than 686 people have registered their names for Islamic Republic’s upcoming presidential election. Accordingly, local analysts believe that Iran needs to take advantage of powerful political parties in order to help Iranians in electing the best nominee.