A lawmaker and senior member of the principlist Islamic Revolution Resistance Front said he believes neither of the candidates representing the Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces will withdraw in favor of the other, asserting that they will remain in the race until the end.
“As far as I know through my contact with Ebrahim Raeisi’s team, his withdrawal from the race is nothing but an unfounded rumor,” Mohammad Javad Abtahi also told ICANA on Tuesday.
The front was founded in December 2016 to unite principlists behind a single contender so as to increase the chances of conservatives in the presidential election.
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the current mayor of Tehran, and Raeisi, the custodian of the holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH), are contenders endorsed by PFIRF.
Abtahi, however, said the final decision will be made after the last round of presidential debates on May 12.
The front has said both candidates have given pledges to step aside in favor of the other, if it was deemed essential for winning the May 19 election.
Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, the spokesperson of PFIRF, had declared last month that their final nominee would be announced days before the poll.
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