Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of Iran’s Expediency Council, says reformist candidate Hassan Rohani is leading in the public opinion polls.
The Mehr News Agency reports that Hashemi Rafsanjani told a group of journalists and political activists: “Mr. Rohani has my vote, and the polls show that he is ahead of the others, so people should not be disappointed and should enter the scene with vigour and go to the ballots.”
He recognized that many people are in doubt whether they should vote or not but he stressed that his recommendation to them is to vote.
Rafsanjani had been the top candidate for the reformists but he was disqualified from running by the Guardian Council. Some reports indicate that the establishment was concerned about reports from the Intelligence Ministry that he would win by a landslide.
Several top reformist figures, including Ayatollah Sanei and Ayatollah Bayat Zanjani, have also endorsed Rohani in the election, which will take place tomorrow, June 14.
