Ultra-conservatives Dominate Iran Presidential Hopefuls

Tehran, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th May, 2021 ) :Iran on Tuesday approved seven hopefuls to run in next month's presidential poll, a list dominated by ultraconservatives as key establishment figure Ali Larijani was disqualified in a shock move.

That could clear the way for a strong run by ultraconservative judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi in the June 18 poll, which comes as Tehran seeks to salvage its nuclear deal with world powers.

Raisi won 38 percent of the vote in 2017 elections but was defeated by moderate now-President Hassan Rouhani, who is constitutionally barred from running for a third term.

The conservative-dominated Guardian Council, which vets election candidates, also barred firebrand former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The list, announced by the interior ministry, had been leaked before the official announcement and sparked criticism from reformists and even conservatives.

"I have never seen the Guardian Council criticised and blasted so much from the far right to the far left," said reformist journalist Mostafa Faghihi on Twitter.

The press had widely predicted a showdown between Raisi and former parliament speaker Larijani, a moderate conservative and currently an advisor to the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Reformists had pinned their hopes on Eshaq Jahangiri, first-vice president to incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, but he was also barred.

Kian Abdollahi, editor-in-chief of ultraconservative Tasnim news agency, said the council's disqualification of several key candidates was not "justifiable to the public" and that "a major part" of conservatives opposed it.

Ultraconservative Fars news agency had reported the disqualification of the three heavyweights on Monday night.

It described the move as a "no to those who created the status quo", implying that the barred hopefuls were responsible for Iran's deep economic and social woes.