More than 100 people have so far registered to contest Iran’s June presidential election on June 12th, including one whose programme includes a ban on soccer.
None of the main contenders – including hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his moderate challenger Mirhossein Mousavi – have so far officially signed up for the race.
They have until Saturday to do so, after which aspirants will be vetted by the Guardian Council, which has strict moral and other criteria and also requires them to be established statesmen. In the last vote in 2005, only about 10 were cleared.
One aspirant said he had been banned from running before and vowed God’s revenge if it happened again. “Since I was disqualified in 1988 the country has faced drought and earthquake problems,” he said.
The Siyasat-e Rouz newspaper said some women also registered, even though the constitution says candidates must be men.
Parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani criticised media coverage of the registration process, saying it harmed the prestige of the presidency.– (Reuters)