A pictorial book on the 82 candidates in Iran’s 11th presidential election, titled ‘I’m the President of Iran’ (in Persian: Man Raeesjomhour-e Iranam’) will soon be released.
In the presidential election in 2013 which saw incumbent Hassan Rouhani emerge as victor, photojournalist Amir Narimani took pictures of many candidates who visited the Election Headquarters of the Interior Ministry to register for the nation’s second highest job.
From May 7-11, 2013, when candidates visited the headquarters to file their applications for the presidential polls, Narimani took photos of the applicants and interviewed them, ILNA reported.
The Guardian Council screened 680 registered candidates and approved eight candidates. Narimani’s work, a combination of descriptions, explanations, photos and portraits is now being finalized.
“The upcoming book includes a series of photos I took of 82 aspiring candidates for the presidency. It is an account of opinions, manifesto and goals as stated by the candidates.”
“The book offers a unique collection of reading material with candidates’ opinions and viewpoints. The photos are accompanied with the texts that are worthy of contemplation,” Narimani wrote on Instagram.
The photo collection is arranged in chronological order. It is based on the time the candidates showed up to apply, mentioning the day and the hour, and even the second. The candidates are introduced, their names given, along with their backgrounds, goals, purposes and plans.
The book is in 197 pages with black and white photos, and Narimani has written the foreword.
Statements by author, critic and photographer Mohammad Mehdi Rahimian; researcher, author and communication expert Mehdi Mohsenian Rad; and author, sociologist, anthropologist and psychologist Abol-Hassan Tanhaee, have been included.
The book also has other election data including voter participation and the marginal developments during the election season.
In his foreword, the author says he has tried to adopt “an unbiased approach, and refrained from being judgmental.” He wants “to remain an impartial observer and narrator.”
