Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to run for president
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Candidates must be approved by the 12-member Guardian Council, which oversees constitutional and religious compliance for fair elections.
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Former President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shows his identification document to the media as he arrives at the Interior Ministry to register his name as a candidate for the June 28 presidential election, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 2, 2024 (AP)
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has filed his candidacy for the impending snap presidential election.
Iran opened on Thursday a five-day window for interested candidates to register their names for the 14th presidential elections as successors to the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who lost his life in a tragic helicopter crash earlier this month.
The heads of the three powers in Iran have agreed Monday to hold presidential elections in the country on June 28, following the initial agreement that took place between Iran's Guardian Council and the Elections Commission.
Candidates must be approved by the 12-member Guardian Council, which oversees constitutional and religious compliance for fair elections. The Interior Ministry will announce the approved nominees on June 11.
Ahmadinejad entered the Interior Ministry building, which houses the election headquarters, to register as a candidate.
According to Article 131 of Iran's constitution, a presidential election must be held within 50 days after the president's death or incapacity and the transfer of power to the first vice president, currently held by Mohammad Mokhber.
Campaigning will be allowed for two weeks, from June 12 to June 26th. One day before the elections, a "day of silence" will be announced, with no campaigning allowed. The presidential election will be held on June 28. The second round, if required, will take place on July 5.
Zohreh Elahian first woman to register for Iran's snap elections
Iranian news agency MEHR reported on Saturday that Zohreh Elahian has made history by becoming the first woman eligible to register for the impending snap presidential election in Iran. This development comes in the aftermath of the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of President Ebrahim Raisi.
"My government's motto is a healthy government, a healthy economy, and a healthy society," Elahian was quoted as saying upon her registration.
Several prominent Iranian political figures have also joined the campaign, including former parliament chairman Ali Larijani.
In addition to Larijani, the former head of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, emerges as another candidate in the upcoming elections.
Holding key positions as the current representative of the Leader of the Revolution and the Republic in the council, Jalili is renowned for his steadfast stance on foreign policy, particularly regarding negotiations and relations with the West and the United States.
Parliamentarians Mohammad Reza Sabbaghian and Abbas Moghtadaei, along with the leader of the reformist "Mardom Salari" party, Mostafa Kavakebian, and Ghodrat Ali Heshmatian, have also been nominated.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
