The decision to enroll was highly unexpected after Supreme leader Khamenei advised the former President not to run for election, something which Ahmadinejad agreed to himself previous year.
In Sept. 2016, local media quoted Iran's Supreme Leader as saying that "I do not find it advisable that you (Ahmadinejad) participate" in the next presidential elections.
Ahmadinejad and his former deputy Hamid Baqaee signed up at Iran's Interior Ministry in Tehran on Wednesday to run for president.
Baghaei was jailed for several months in 2015 on unknown charges.
The only prominent figure to step in the elections debut on the first day was Mostafa Mir-Salim, Former Culture Minister, who will represent Islamic Coalition Party.
In 2011, Ayatollah Khamenei was so annoyed by Mr Ahmadinejad's hunger for more power that he floated a proposal to change Iran's constitution to do away with a directly elected presidency altogether, an idea Mr Ahmadinejad briskly dismissed as "academic".
Anantnag By-Polls Deferred To 25 May By The Election Commission
Earlier, the separatists had dubbed the low participation of voters in Srinagar constituency as "slap on Indian democracy". Another by-election , to fill a separate parliamentary seat, is set to take place in the Anantnag district on 12 April.
On April 28, candidates start campaigning until 24 hours before May 19, the voting date for the 12th presidential and 5th city and council elections.
After conclusion of the process of registration of the applicants, the Guardian Council will have five days for vetting process to assess the qualification of the individuals. Ahmadinejad on Wednesday unexpectedly filed to run in the country's May presidential election, contradicting a recommendation from the supreme leader to stay out of the race.
Ahmadinejad's popularity faded further as his combative persona and support for the nuclear program alienated the West and led to the harshest sanctions ever imposed on a country.
Iran has a term limit of two four-year terms but a person can be eligible again for elections after four years out of office. On April 12, after registering to run, Ahmadinejad and Baghaei both held a press conference in which Ahmadinejad said that his decision had been made in support of Baghaei, "I registered merely to support Baghaei and I will act according to the [supreme] leader's advice".
Critics believe Ahmadinejad won't make it past that stage. Current President Hassan Rouhani - until now seen as a shoe-in for a second term in office - hasn't even registered for the election yet, though 197 other hopefuls have. All I can say with confidence is that Ahmadinejad has got a big mouth. Many Iranians have grown impatient with the slow rate of improvement in their economic fortunes since the lifting of sanctions past year.
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