TEHRAN – Conservative former parliament speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel on Monday withdrew his candidacy from Iran's June 14 presidential election, Iranian media reported. Haddad-Adel, a close adviser and a relative by marriage of clerical Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been a member of a coalition of conservative "Principlist" candidates that included Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati. "With my withdrawal I ask the dear people to strictly observe the criteria of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution (Khamenei) when they vote for candidates," he said in a statement carried by the semi-official Mehr news agency. He did not endorse a single candidate, but called for a hardline conservative victory. "I advise the dear people to take a correct decision so that either a Principlist wins in the first round, or if the election runs to a second round, the competition be between two Principlists." — Reuters
