278 candidates apply for presidential bid

In Iran, the candidate registration process for the 14th presidential election, which will be held on June 28 following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, ended today at 18:00 local time.

Mohammad Taghi Shahcheraghi, head of the Iranian Election Headquarters, stated in a press conference following the end of the applications, “278 individuals applied for the presidency within 5 days.

The applications of 80 people who met the necessary requirements were accepted. From this stage on, as the Guardian Council, we will begin the necessary review of the candidates. 

As the Council, we will officially present the presidential candidates to the Ministry of Interior after a 7-day review period. On June 11, the Ministry of Interior will share the names of those whose candidacies have been accepted with the public. Candidates will carry out their election campaign activities over a 15-day period until June 28,” he said.

Addressing the low number of applicants compared to previous years, Shahcheraghi said, “1,636 people applied in 2017, and 592 people applied in 2021. In this election, upon the suggestion of Supreme Leader Khamenei, the Guardian Council applied the public service requirement more comprehensively.”

ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD ON JUNE 28

Among those whose candidacies were accepted are 47 conservatives, 13 reformists, 3 moderates, 15 independents, and 2 from the 'Spring' faction represented by former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Prominent figures among the applicants include Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, former Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, and Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani from the conservative front; former First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri and former Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati from the reformist front; former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani from the moderate front; Vahid Haghanian, known as the right-hand man of Supreme Leader Khamenei, from the independent front; and former President Ahmadinejad from the Spring faction.

Other notable figures whose presidential candidacies were accepted include former Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, former reformist Health Minister Masoud Pezeshkian, former Energy Minister Parviz Fattah, former Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, former Labor Minister Mohammad Nazemi Ardakani, Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash, and former Member of Parliament Zohreh Elahian.

Following the death of Iranian President Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was granted presidential powers for a 50-day period in accordance with Article 131 of the Constitution.

Subsequently, a meeting was held hosted by Mokhber to determine the election date. At the meeting, it was announced that the presidential elections would be held on June 28, in line with the decision taken by the Guardian Council.

News Source: İHA