Lawmakers, scholars urge Guardian Council to disapprove Rafsanjani
Iran Press TV
Tue May 21, 2013 1:2PM GMT
A number of Iranian lawmakers and religious scholars have called on the Guardian Council to not approve Expediency Council chairman and presidential hopeful, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi, for the June 14 election.
One hundred and fifteen members of the Majlis (Parliament) urged Iran's constitutional supervisory body -- a 12-member body consisting of six jurists and six theologians -- to exclude Hashemi Rafsanjani from the list of potential candidates approved to stand in the presidential race.
They have also asked the Council not to give in to pressure, and complete the hopefuls' vetting process according to the law.
Several seminary scholars and students in the holy city of Qom have made similar pleas.
Hashemi Rafsanjani's office, in response, has issued a statement, describing the move as a smear campaign against the former Iranian president. The statement said Rafsanjani has been a revolutionary figure for six decades.
A total of 686 hopefuls registered from May 7 to 11 for the Islamic Republic's 11th presidential election. The Guardian Council, which is tasked with vetting hopefuls for candidacy and confirming the election results, is expected to submit the list of the candidates to the Interior Ministry on Tuesday.
Iran's Deputy Interior Minister Solat Mortazavi said on Tuesday that the names of the presidential candidates will be announced on Wednesday, May 22.
Official campaigning will start two days after the council releases its final list of approved candidates.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election.
MP/HGH/SS
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