LONDON (Reuters) - Hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi, a harsh critic of the West and the standard bearer of Iran's security hawks, has drawn on economic discontent to mount an unexpectedly strong challenge to pragmatist Hassan Rouhani in Friday's presidential elections.
A protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi has focused his campaign on the economy, visiting rural areas and small villages, promising the poor housing, jobs and more welfare benefits.
