Number of Iranian presidential hopefuls passes 20
Iran Press TV
Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:21PM GMT
More than 20 hopefuls have so far announced their bids to join the race to succeed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Press TV reports.
The prospective candidates from different political factions have been holding question and answer sessions and meetings with influential figures weeks before the official registration begins for the June 14 election.
The main rivals are once again the Reformists and the Principlists. But at the moment there are many different political groups and presidential hopefuls on each side. In order to understand the political scene it is important to understand the main difference between these two,” political analyst Saeed Ajorlou told Press TV on Monday.
The famous Principlists likely to run for the presidency are Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, former longest-serving Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati, former health minister Kamran Baqeri-Lankarani as well as a number of lawmakers including Vice Speaker of Majlis Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard, Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel and Ali-Reza Zakani.
Former first Vice-President Mohammad-Reza Aref and former Minister of Commerce Mohammad Shariatmadari are the most famous Reformists to announce their bids.
Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei, who is also a former chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), has said he will run on an independent ticket.
The hopefuls have unanimously criticized the economic policies of the incumbent president, vowing to bring the economy back on the right track should they win the race to Pasteur, a neighborhood in downtown Tehran where the presidential office is located.
Hopefuls can register from May 7 to 11 for the country’s 11th presidential election, which will be held on June 14.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election and the Guardian Council vets the candidates for qualifications.
KA/HGH/SL
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