Rafsanjani says presidential bid out of duty
Iran Press TV
Thu May 16, 2013 9:5PM GMT
Iran’s former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani says he is making a comeback bid in the June 14 race out of duty.
Rafsanjani, who is currently chairing Iran’s top arbitration body the Expediency Council, said on Thursday that he feels nationally and religiously obliged to contest the vote.
He noted that he decided to run for the presidency based on his knowledge of Iran’s current problems at the national and international levels.
Rafsanjani has been taken to task by some of his rivals who say the 79-year-old cleric and his reformist supporters are not qualified enough to run the country.
In response, Rafsanjani warned against political mudslinging in the run-up to the election, saying that slander and libel are against human and Islamic values.
Rafsanjani served as Iran’s president from 1989 to 1997. In 2005, he ran for a third term in office, but he lost the race to his rival Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The registration for the 11th presidential election of Iran ended on May 11, with 686 individuals having signed up for the race. They will be vetted by the Guardian Council, which is a 12-member body consisting of six jurists and six theologians who in addition to vetting hopefuls are tasked with confirming the election results.
The Guardian Council will have until May 21 to announce the final list of candidates.
KA/MHB
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