Lankarani not to withdraw bid for Iran presidency in favor of others
Iran Press TV
Sat May 18, 2013 10:18AM GMT
Iranian presidential hopeful Kamran Baqeri Lankarani says he has no intention of stepping aside in favor of any other hopeful in Iran's June presidential election.
Principlist Lankarani said that the central council of the Perseverance Front has picked him as the frontrunner hopeful for the June 24 vote.
He dismissed speculations that he has withdrawn his bid for presidency in favor of another member of the group, Saeed Jalili, who is the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
A total of 686 hopefuls registered from May 7 to 11 for the Islamic Republic'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 hopefuls, approving or not approving them for official candidacy.
Guardian Council Spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said on Friday that the final list of candidates will be announced by May 21.
Lankarani also criticized some presidential hopefuls for raising the possibility of holding direct talks with the United States.
He said any compromise with Washington regarding Iran's nuclear energy program will only bring shame and humiliation upon the nation.
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Using the unfounded allegation as a pretext, the US and the EU have imposed illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Tehran rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy activities, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
SF/NN/HJL
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