Iran�s next elected president must follow the �ideals� of Supreme Leader�Ayatollah Ali Khamenei�and avoid questioning the Islamic republic�s foundation, said a senior member of the country�s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
�In the elections we must make the right pick and choose someone who won�t question the regime,� Ayatollah Khamenei�s representative to the guards, Ali Saeedi, was quoted as saying in a report today by the state-run�Mehr�news agency.

�The president must follow the ideals and goals of the supreme leader and have values, and not let position or pressure change him,� Saeedi said in a speech yesterday.

The comments seem aimed at President�Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has challenged Ayatollah Khamenei�s authority ever since his 2009 re- election amid widespread protests over voter fraud allegations. They come as�Iran�prepares for a presidential election in June. Ahmadinejad is constitutionally unable to run for a third consecutive term.

The race takes place amid accelerating inflation and a drop of about 40 percent in the national currency�s value against the dollar as a result of tighter U.S. and European Union sanctions over the country�s nuclear program.

Iran�s supreme leader is appointed for life by senior clerics and is the ultimate decision maker for the nation�s affairs, while the president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term.

By Bloomberg

 

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