TEHRAN – Mostafa Mirsalim, a potential principlist candidate for the 2017 presidential election, met with Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, the Shoma weekly paper reported on Monday.

Makarem Shirazi urged honesty in electoral campaigns, saying “One of the things that causes victory both in our country and America is populism. The righteous, however, cannot demonstrate such behavior.”

The ayatollah also urged principlist groups to endorse only one candidate, saying if they introduce many candidates, they are sure to fail.

SP/PA