592 Iranians sign up for presidential election

TEHRAN, May 16 — A total of 592 people, mostly political unknowns, have registered for the 13th presidential election in Iran, Jamal Orf, head of the country’s election campaign, said on Saturday.
Out of the total candidates, 40 are women and 552 are men, Orf was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.
On Saturday, the last day of the registration process, three senior political figures announced their bid for the upcoming presidential election scheduled on June 18.
Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi as a principlist candidate, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri as a reformist candidate, and former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani as a moderate political figure officially registered for the campaign.
Iran’s Ministry of Interior Affairs on Tuesday officially started registering candidates for the 13th presidential race.
From Sunday, each candidate will be scrutinized by the Guardian Council of the Constitution (GCC), the country’s highest legislative body. The GCC will assess the qualification of the applicants and release the names of qualified candidates by May 27.
The nominees will have 20 days to campaign before election day.
A presidential candidate should be an Iranian national, prudent and capable of taking on leadership duties, and believe in the Islamic republic’s principles and official religion, according to the constitution.
Recently, the GCC updated the requirements for individuals planning to register as candidates.
“All nominees must be between 40 and 70 years of age, hold at least a master’s degree or its equivalent, have at least four years’ experience in managerial posts, and have no criminal record,” said Hadi Tahan Nazif, a GCC jurist member.
Meanwhile, top military commanders of major general and higher positions are also allowed to run for president. (Xinhua)