Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani was head of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) for 10 years until 1994. He was also a member of the Expediency Council, an administrative assembly that plays an advisory role to Iran's Supreme Leader, or head of state.
The family of late Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani is supporting incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, who is running for a second term.
The upcoming vote will be seen, among other things, as a referendum on the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.