So far, 80 politicians have registered as pre-candidates for the presidential elections in Iran, scheduled for June 28, among them are some of the heavyweights of the Islamic country’s politics, who are now at the mercy of accepting their candidacies by the Council of Guardians.
Parliament Speaker Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, his predecessor Ali Larijani, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former head of nuclear negotiations Saeed Jalili are some of the most prominent names running for president.
The early elections take place due to the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdolahian and six others on May 19.
Iranian politics is divided into two main blocs: the so-called principalists, more linked to the current Islamic regime, and the reformists, who seek a certain “gradual opening” of the country.
Of the heavyweights, Qalibaf was the last to register, just hours before the deadline, in the middle of the afternoon on Monday (3), and just six days after revalidating his position at the head of Parliament, the news agency reported. state-owned Go to.
Qalibaf, who is a former mayor of Tehran and a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, has already run for president twice and lost in both races.
If his candidacy and those of his opponents are approved, they could face other names like Ahmadinejad, who, despite his controversial period as president of the country, has support among the popular classes.
The principalist wing also includes Jalili, who has in the past called for a tightening of the country’s atomic policy to confront Israel and who has already run for office three times.
On the reformist side, Larijani, former president of Parliament and former advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stands out. He switched to the more moderate camp a few years ago.
Another prominent reformer is Eshaq Jahangiri, former vice president during Hassan Rohani’s government (2013-2021).
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, former Central Bank President Abdolnasser Hemmati, Culture Minister Mehdi Esmaili and Transport Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, who was in one of the helicopters flying alongside Raisi’s day of the fatal accident, are also in the dispute.
Two women, former deputies Zohreh Elahian and Hamideh Zarabadi, have also registered, although so far no woman has overcome the Guardian Council’s veto. This body, whose function is to approve or veto laws approved by Parliament and political candidates, will begin considering nominations this Tuesday (4) and will announce on June 11th who are eligible to compete.
The body of six clerics and six jurists disqualified Ahmadinejad in 2017 and 2021 and Larijani in the last elections.
Since the 2020 parliamentary elections, the Council has prevented the participation of several reformist candidates, who support a gradual opening of the country, thus favoring the principalists.
The elections will be held amid strong public discontent regarding the poor economic situation and social repression, especially of women with the new campaign to reimpose the use of the veil.
The recent parliamentary elections in March recorded the lowest turnout in the 45 years of Islamic rule, when just 41% of the electorate went to the polls. (With EFE Agency)
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