2017 Ebrahim Raisi presidential campaign

In February 2017, Ebrahim Raisi was said to be backed by the Front of Islamic Revolution Stability and emerging as the conservative camp consensus candidate.[10] One of the senior member of the front told press that his party tried to “persuade Ebrahim Raisi to stand for the elections, but did not succeed”.[11] On 23 February 2017, Raisi won the majority of votes during the meeting held by Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, a newly established umbrella organization of conservatives.[12]

50 out of the 88 members of the Assembly of Experts, whose names has not been disclosed, have signed a letter supporting Raisi for president in March 2017.[13]

Raisi speaking after registration

It focuses on presenting him as a symbol of Mohammad Beheshti, Iran's chief justice assassinated in 1981.[4] His campaign portrays him as "man of the people"; when Mashhad was hit by an earthquake in early April, he cancelled his meeting in Tehran and said “it is necessary to be with the religious people of this land”.[14]

Raisi has publicized pictures of his visits to poverty-stricken areas in remote villages,[15] and opening an apartment complex for the families of Afghan fighters killed in Syrian civil war.[16]

On 17 April 2017, Raisi wrote an open letter to Hassan Rouhani, recommending him to “observe moral codes”.[17] Raisi's campaign symbol is "National identity card".[18] On 15 May 2017, conservative candidate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf withdrew his candidacy in favor of Raisi.[19] It is speculation that Ghalibaf will be Raisi's first vice president if he gets elected.[20] They also joined in a campaign rally in Tehran with each other.

Iranian moderates and reformists have criticized Iran's state-run television, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), for "excessively reporting" on Raisi. According to Etemaad newspaper, the television has been showing Raisi as the prayer Imam regularly in recent days. Raisi however wrote an open letter to IRIB head Abdulali Ali-Asgari, claiming it has 'biased advertisements' toward Rouhani because of coverage of his speeches as the President of Iran.[21]

Raisi's practice of distributing flour among the poor has been criticized and compared to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's similar distribution of potatoes before 2009 presidential election.[74]

• Media related to Ebrahim Raisi presidential campaign, 2017 at Wikimedia Commons