Iran Presidential Race Gets Heated As Ahmadinejad Applies for Candidacy
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad decided to test his luck with voters again by applying for candidacy for the highest executive post.
Ahmadinejad jumped into the presidential contest on Sunday after submitting his application.
The controversial figure’s presence in the Interior Ministry attracted a large number of photographers and journalists.
Ahmadinejad, who held office as president for two successive terms from 2005 to 2013, delivered a speech after registering as a candidate.
The registration process for the 14th round of Iran’s presidential election got underway at the Interior Ministry headquarters in Tehran on May 30 and will end on June 3.
Around 80 individuals have put in requests for candidacy during the past four days, while less than 20, including a woman, have met the eligibility criteria to register.
All applicants are carefully vetted by the Constitutional Council, which will announce the list of final candidates on June 11.
The election campaign period is set for June 12-26, while the nationwide presidential election will be held on Friday, June 28.
The new administration, the 14th one after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, will assume power in late June or early July and hold office for four years.
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage crashed in northwestern mountainous forests on May 19, killing the president, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and six others.
According to the Constitution, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has taken the helm as the acting president at the discretion of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.