Enter the Front Runner

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Former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani decided to "swallow the bitter pill," as he put it, and become a candidate in Iran's presidential vote scheduled for June 17. "The Commander of Construction," as supporters call him because his policies kick-started the devastated Iranian economy after the Iran-Iraq war, ended months of speculation by publishing a manifesto; it promises to rein in extremism within the country, attract international confidence, support gender equality and spur economic growth.

The wily Rafsanjani, 70, is seen as a consensus builder, giving him an advantage over other top candidates such as former police chief Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, from the neo-conservative camp, and former Minister of Science and reformist candidate Mostafa Moin. "He's the only candidate capable of preventing extreme factionalism in Iran," says Nasser Hadian, a political science professor at Tehran University. "But he's also the only one who can broach relations with America," because only he has enough political power internally.

In his two consecutive terms as Iranian President, from 1989 to 1997, Rafsanjani negotiated the release of U.S. hostages in Lebanon and brokered a one-billion-dollar oil deal, which later derailed, with U.S. firm Conoco. If he does win next month, those negotiating skills will come in handy.