Tehran [Iran], June 10: Iran's Ministry of Interior on June 9 announced 6 candidates qualified to run for president on June 28 to replace late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter accident in May.
According to AFP, candidates were screened from 80 people registered to run for election by the Guardian Council, Iran 's powerful agency in charge of elections .
Among the candidates who passed the review round were National Assembly Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and former head of the nuclear negotiating delegation Saeed Jalili.
Former Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, parliamentarian Massoud Pezeshkian, Tehran mayor Alireza Zakaani and Vice President Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi are the remaining people approved.
Most of the above people have conservative political leanings, except Mr. Pezeshkian who is considered a reformer, according to AFP.
Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who failed to pass the review round in 2017 and 2021, continued to be removed from the list.
Notable disqualifiers also include moderate former Speaker of the National Assembly Ali Larijani and former commander Vahid Haghanian of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Guardian Council consists of 12 members, whose role is to review candidates and supervise elections, and has the right to veto bills passed by parliament. The council consists of 6 experts on Islamic law selected by the supreme leader and 6 jurists elected by the parliament from jurists nominated by the judicial leadership. The judicial leader is a person appointed by the supreme leader .
According to Reuters, the late President Raisi was once considered the person who would succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader. After his death, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is assuming the position of interim president.
The election campaign will take place from June 12-27. Iran's presidential election will take place on June 28. The new government will take over power at the end of June or early July, for a 4-year term.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper