With So Much Of The Debate Hampered Ahead Of Presidential Vote, Iranians Turn To Clubhouse rferl.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rferl.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Iran's powerful Guardians Council has barred prominent moderate politicians from running in the June 18 presidential election in a move that analysts say will place hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi as the leading candidate in the vote.
Only Seven Candidates Approved For Iran s June Presidential Vote
May 25, 2021 07:36 GMT
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An Iranian hard-line constitutional watchdog has approved seven candidates to run in next month s presidential election amid reports several high-profile candidacies were disqualified from running.
State television quoted the spokesman of the Guardians Council on May 25 as saying only seven candidates had been approved out of some 590 who registered by the panel overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The spokesman, Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, did not name those selected. He said the Interior Ministry would announce the list later, triggering the campaign season ahead of the June 18 vote to succeed to outgoing President Hassan Rohani.
A hard-line cleric in charge of Iran's judiciary is among the final potential candidates who have registered to run in the country's upcoming presidential election.
With the poll just a month away, no immediate favorite has emerged among the many rumored candidates, but many view the hard-liners as ascendant.
Turnout could be hit by rising discontent over steep rises in consumer prices and high unemployment as the Iranian economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and U.S. economic sanctions reimposed after Washington in 2018 pulled out of the nuclear accord, which lifted international sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
Iran responded to the U.S. moves by stepping up its violations of the accord by enriching uranium to a greater purity, stockpiling more than allowed, and introducing more advanced centrifuges.