Ebrahim Raisi, the hard-line Iranian judiciary chief known for his role in the mass execution of thousands of prisoners in the late 1980s, is heavily favored to win Iran’s presidential election next week. If elected, Raisi has pledged to tackle "poverty and corruption, humiliation and discrimination.” 

Raisi held a mass rally Thursday with thousands in attendance at a soccer stadium in the southeastern city of Ahvaz, despite concerns over the coronavirus.

The Guardian Council, a 12-member body that vets potential candidates, announced last month that seven candidates would be allowed to run in the June 18 presidential poll. Two of the applicants most likely to pose a threat to Raisi, former parliament speaker Ali Larijani and current Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, were excluded from running. 

The 60-year-old Raisi is widely believed to be the preferred candidate of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who considers Raisi a close confidant and possible successor. In March 2019, Khamenei appointed Raisi as head of Iran’s judiciary, where he launched a “war on corruption" and maintained Iran’s designation as one of the world’s top executioners.