Ghazizadeh Hashemi withdraws from Iran's presidential race ahead of Friday's election

Iranian presidential candidate Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi has withdrawn from the country's presidential race ahead of the election scheduled for Friday.

Ghazizadeh Hashemi, 53, a former lawmaker and current vice president, announced his withdrawal in a post on X on Wednesday night, elaborating on the reasons for his decision.

The principlist candidate said he quit the election to help "maintain the cohesion of the revolutionary forces and in response to the written request of the Supreme Council of the Revolution Forces' Consensus and some scholars and patriots."

Ghazizadeh Hashemi expressed his hope that three other principlist candidates in the race, namely Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili, and Alireza Zakani, would reach a consensus before the election to strengthen the revolutionary forces' front.

Two other presidential candidates are Masoud Pezeshkian and Mostafa Pourmohammadi.

Iran's 14th presidential election, initially set for 2025, was rescheduled following late President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash in the country's mountainous northwestern region on May 19.