TEHRAN – The presidential chief of staff on Wednesday said the government is “quite impartial” toward the presidential elections.

“If some want to attribute a candidate to the government and say that the government backs one candidate is not true,” Mahmoud Vaezi told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Vaezi said the government neither has a candidate nor does it back a candidate. The government also does not oppose any candidate, he added.

Central bank governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, who is being replaced by his deputy Akbar Komeijani, is competing for the presidential post. He was among the seven candidates who were confirmed by the Guardian Council.

Vaezi said Hemmati himself decided to contest the elections and refuted rumors that he is being backed by the government.

The presidential chief of staff said the government is tasked to hold the election and “it does not want to elect somebody as a replacement and tell people vote for this person.”

What is important for the government is an enthusiastic election, Vaezi pointed out.

The future of the Islamic Republic is important for the government, he said, adding whoever is elected president the government is ready to share its eight years of experiences with him.

It is the duty of the government to “sincerely” exchange experiences with the future government and brief the next ministers about the plans that have been Ironed out for the country’s future.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani asked the electorate to vote not only for the most qualified candidate but for a candidate who has most efficient “plan and strategy” for running the government. 

The presidential elections will be held on June 18. The first round of presidential debates will be held on Saturday.