7 candidates approved for June 18 Iranian presidential election


PTI, May 25, 2021, 3:48 PM IST

Ebrahim Raisi

Tehran: Iran named seven candidates Tuesday for its June 18 presidential election, approving the candidacy of the hard-line cleric running the country’s judiciary while barring a former parliament speaker allied to the country’s current president.

The decision by Iran’s Guardian Council puts judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, who ran against President Hassan Rouhani in 2017, in a dominant position for the upcoming vote.

He’s the most-known candidate of the seven hopefuls, with opinion polling previously showing his anti-corruption campaign drawing popular support.

The announcement on state television didn’t discuss the fact that former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, a conservative who allied with Rouhani in recent years, had been barred.

Larijani had been positioning himself as a pragmatic candidate who would back Rouhani’s signature 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. That accord is now in tatters as diplomats in Vienna try to negotiate a return of both Iran and the US to the agreement.

Also barred was former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Rouhani’s senior Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, a reformist.

Ahmadinejad ignored a warning from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2017 and registered, only to be rejected then as well by the Guardian Council.

During an earlier session of parliament on Tuesday, lawmaker Ahmad Alirezabeigi described Ahmadinejad’s home as being “under siege” by security forces since the day before.

He also warned that the decision would suppress turnout.

Iran’s theocracy since its 1979 Islamic Revolution has based its legitimacy in part on turnout in elections.

State TV earlier quoted Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, the spokesman of the Guardian Council, as saying “only seven” had been approved out of some 590 who registered by the panel of clerics and jurists overseen by Khamenei.

In 2017, 1,630 hopefuls registered to run.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Karnataka: Nine Lord Ayyappa devotees suffer burn injuries in LPG cylinder blast

Record govt jobs provided in one, one and a half years: PM Modi

Kota: Protest at Sasthan Toll opposes charges on local commercial vehicles

Coaching crisis, heartbreaks and Olympic setbacks mark a disastrous year for Indian boxing

Charan Singh dedicated life for welfare of farmers: Adityanath

Ready with plan to tackle Bumrah, says Sam Konstas

Kundapura: Body of drowning victim found after jet ski incident

Related Articles More

India & Kuwait elevate ties to strategic level; ink defence pact after PM Modi meets top Kuwaiti leaders

In Kuwait, PM Modi meets yoga practitioner, other influencers from Gulf country

PM Modi receives Kuwait’s highest honour

PM Modi in Kuwait meets translator, publisher of Mahabharata, Ramayana in Arabic

Indian manpower, skills will help build ‘New Kuwait’: PM Modi

MUST WATCH

Tulunadu Daivaradane

Feeding Birds with Creative Paddy Art!

Areca Nut

HOTEL SRI DURGA BHAVANA

Harish Poonja


Latest Additions

I never liked dubbed English films: Sanjay Mishra

TTD sub-temple in Tarigonda receives golden crown donation

Murder accused hurls slipper at judge in Thane court; booked

Karnataka: Nine Lord Ayyappa devotees suffer burn injuries in LPG cylinder blast

Record govt jobs provided in one, one and a half years: PM Modi

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.