Iran’s Guardian Council approves hard-line candidates while disqualifying former President Ahmadinejad ahead of June election.
Iran’s Guardian Council has approved six candidates for the country’s presidential election scheduled for June 28, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. Among those approved is Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the hard-line speaker of Iran’s parliament, who has previously run for president without success. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a populist figure, was again barred from running, continuing a trend of exclusion of candidates perceived as challenging the system.
The approval of candidates marks the beginning of a shortened two-week campaign, with televised debates and public speeches expected. The Guardian Council’s decision reflects an ongoing effort by Iran’s theocratic leadership to control the election process, following record-low voter turnout in previous elections. The council has once again excluded female candidates and those advocating for radical changes to Iran’s political structure.
The list of candidates includes several hard-liners with close ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, including Saeed Jalili, former nuclear negotiator, and Ali Reza Zakani, Tehran’s mayor. Mostafa Pourmohammadi, former minister of justice, and Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Raisi’s former vice president, also made the list. Masoud Pezeshkian is the only reformist candidate, but he is not expected to garner much support.
The election takes place amid ongoing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, which has advanced to near weapons-grade levels, and the geopolitical ramifications of the Israel-Hamas conflict. As in past elections, the supreme leader’s influence is likely to determine the ultimate direction of the country’s policies.
