Qalibaf issued a statement on Saturday, a day after the nationwide presidential election that went to the runoff between Jalili and Massoud Pezeshkian.
Qalibaf, who is the current parliament speaker, said in his statement that he respects Pezeshkian, but he backs Jalili and called on others to vote for him in the runoff vote.
Qalibaf cited concerns about some of members of Pezeshkian’s team, which he associated to a movement he blamed for today’s economic and political problems.
He also hailed the Friday election for manifesting the Islamic Republic’s belief in religious democracy and allowing different movements with different tastes to compete in a fair environment.
Meanwhile, Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, the presidential hopeful who dropped out of the contest two days before the vote, endorsed Jalili in the runoff as well.
Iran held the snap election to choose a successor to the late president Ebrahim Raisi who lost his life in a helicopter crash in the west of the country on May 19.
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