Iran's Presidential Elections

Hard-line candidate Mohsen Rezaei withdrew from Iran's presidential race today, two days before polling. Hard-liners have called for three of the four hard-line candidates to drop out of the race for fear of splitting the conservative vote. Rezaei is the first hard-line candidate to do so. State television quoted Rezaei as saying in a statement that he was withdrawing "to avoid diversity of votes." Rezaei, former head of the elite Revolutionary Guards – had little chance of winning on Friday. Other hard-line candidates have said they do not intend to withdraw. The remaining hard-liner candidates are former radio and television chief Ali Larijani, former national police chief Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, and Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.