Velayati pledges to strive for unity among principlists

“We will strive so the principlists can achieve unity in the upcoming election and we are confident that we will win,” Velayati said in a Thursday interview.

“I will stay in the scene until the end,” the presidential hopeful, who is currently a top advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, pointed out.

Velayati, who is also a former foreign minister, called for observance of moral standards in the election campaigns and debates and pledged to adhere to such principles even in the wake of any potential unethical behaviors against him.

Velayati belongs to the principlist Coalition of Three, which also includes Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and lawmaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel.
The coalition will pick one of its members as its nominee.

A total of 686 individuals signed up for the presidential race during the registration period, which began on May 7 at Iran’s Interior Ministry and ended on May 11.

They will be vetted by the Guardian Council, which is a 12-member body consisting of six jurists and six theologians who in addition to vetting hopefuls are tasked with confirming the election results.

The Guardian Council will have until the 21st of May to announce the final list of candidates.

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