Following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash earlier this month, Iran’s Guardian Council, which is in charge of elections and legislation, has authorized six candidates to run for president in early elections that will take place later this month, according to a report from Iran’s State TV on Sunday.
According to State TV, the list includes conservative chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who previously oversaw Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office for four years, and Tehran’s conservative mayor Alireza Zakani. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament and a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, is also on the list.
A representative for the Election Office revealed the list on state television, along with reformist legislator Masoud Pezeshkian, former interior minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi, and conservative politician Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi. According to state TV, “their electoral activities start officially with the announcement of the final list of candidates.”
The scheduled date of the election is June 28.
According to state media, the Council dismissed well-known conservative Ali Larijani, the former speaker of the parliament, and former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
