Alireza Zakani, the Mayor of Tehran, formally withdrew from the presidential race just a day before the election in support of the other hardline candidates, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Saeed Jalili.
Zakani is the second hardliner to withdraw after Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi announced his resignation on Wednesday. Both candidates had meager chances, scoring less than 5% in several opinion surveys.
Six candidates were initially approved by the un-elected Guardian Council that vets all candidates and operates under the influence of Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
In a statement on his official X account, Zakani pleaded with fellow hardliner candidates Jalili and Ghalibaf to unite in order to prevent the ascent of a reform-leaning candidate: “We must consolidate our efforts to address the rightful aspirations of revolutionary factions, thereby preventing the formation of another Rouhani administration.”