Reformist Candidate in Iran’s Presidential Election Bows Out

The reformist candidate in Iran’s upcoming presidential election has dropped out of the race. Mohsen Mehralizadeh, 64, announced that he would withdraw his candidacy on Wednesday, the last day of campaigning for Friday’s election, state media reported. There are six remaining candidates.

Mehralizadeh likely dropped out of the running in order to improve the chances of a moderate candidate, and reportedly is not an unusual move. That candidate appears to be former Central Bank head Abdolnasser Hemmati.

Current president Hassan Rouhani, who is considered a moderate and who oversaw the negotiation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, is barred from running again due to term limits.