Former President Ahmadinejad Registers to Run for Election, Waiting for Guardian Council's 'Approval'

Iran's hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has registered to run for president in the June 28 election.

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (Source: Reuters)

However, it is still unclear whether Mr. Ahmadinejad will be allowed to run. The Guardian Council will review the qualifications of the candidates and announce the list of qualified candidates on June 11.

Mr Ahmadinejad, a former member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was first elected president of Iran in 2005 and resigned due to term limits in 2013. He was barred from running in the 2017 election by the Guardian Council, a year after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that his participation was "not in his or the country's interest".

A rift developed between the two men after Mr Ahmadinejad made clear his intention to rein in Supreme Leader Khamenei's power.

On June 1, Vahid Haghanian, a former commander of the IRGC, filed his candidacy for the presidency. In addition, several other figures have also announced their candidacy for the presidency, including Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, former MP Zohreh Elahian (the first female candidate to run), former Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Ali Larijani (a moderate), former Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati (a reformist), and former radical nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.

Iran's presidential election was originally scheduled for 2025 but will be held early after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19. Iran's Interior Ministry began accepting applications for candidates on May 30. The registration process for presidential candidates began on the morning of May 30 and will last until June 3.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/iran-former-president-ahmadinejad-registered-to-contest-for-the-review-of-the-board-of-the-supervisor-273538.html