Ahmadinejad plotting to be replaced by close ally – or scrap election, senior cleric claims

Staff Writer

11 years ago

Mehdi-Taeb NCRI – Iranian regime’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants a close ally and relative elected in his place in June – and is threatening to cancel the election if he fails, a senior Iranian regime cleric has claimed.

The revelations by Mehdi Taeb to the Nasim online news agency are more evidence of bitter infighting between rival factions in the regime.

Taeb – head of Ammar Garrison – also claimed that Ahmadinejad was trying to sow discord in society and believed that holding the election in three months time was ‘useless’.

He told the state-run Nasim news agency on March 26 that Ahmadinejad was pushing for his chief-of-staff and family in-law Esfandiari Rahim Mashaei – described by rivals as a ‘deviant’ who wanted to undermine Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei – nominated as a candidate ahead of the June 14 polling day.

He added: “The main aim of this devious faction is that the government does not hold the election, and their second goal is to persuade people that participating in the elections is useless. Their goal is to deviate the system away from its main objective.”