In Iran, the conservative camp continues to go through a rough patch as its presidential candidates continue to appear unwilling to withdraw in favor of a contender who, according to the camp, has the greatest chance of defeating incumbent moderate President Hassan Rouhani.
Ahead of the May 19 presidential elections, conservatives have tried to put aside their disagreements and form a coalition under the name Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, known by its Persian acronym, JAMNA. They have held two summits in which many names were brought up for nomination in the elections. JAMNA also held a primary of sorts, decreasing the conservative camp’s candidates to five individuals: Ebrahim Raisi, custodian of the holy shrine of the eighth Shiite imam; Alireza Zakani, a former hard-line parliament member; Mehrdad Bazrpash, who served as an official under the administration of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Tehran mayor; and Hamid Reza Haji Babaie, the minister of education under Ahmadinejad.