(CTN News) – Iran has commenced the formal registration of presidential candidates ahead of a snap election next month, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash earlier this month.
Originally scheduled for 2025, the election has been moved up to June 28 due to Raisi’s death on May 19.
“Candidate registration for the 14th presidential elections began at 8 a.m. [04:30 GMT] … at the interior ministry,” reported the official IRNA news agency.
Presidential hopefuls will have five days to register, according to IRNA.
Raisi and seven members of his entourage, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, perished when their aircraft crashed on a fog-covered mountainside in northern Iran.
Following the incident, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, as caretaker president in accordance with the constitution.
Iran Early Candidacy Submissions Fail to Meet Qualifications
On Thursday, state media reported that “around 30 people” submitted applications for candidacy, but “none of them met the basic conditions for qualification.”
According to the AFP news agency, former reformist lawmaker Mostafa Kavakebian and conservative parliamentarian Mohammadreza Sabaghian were among those who submitted their applications to the Ministry of Interior.
Per Iran’s electoral law, candidates must be between the ages of 40 and 75 and possess at least a master’s degree.
As in previous election cycles, the main candidates from Iran’s leading political factions are expected to submit their applications closer to the end of the registration period.
Potential Presidential Candidates and Election Context
Among those reportedly considering a run for the presidency are Saeed Jalili, a conservative politician who previously served as the chief nuclear negotiator under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Mohsen Hashemi Rafsanjani, son of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, an ally of former President Hassan Rouhani, is also reportedly being encouraged to run.
Caretaker President Mohammad Mokhber might also file his candidacy.
The final list of candidates will be announced on June 11 by the Guardian Council, a 12-member body of jurists appointed or approved by the supreme leader.
The Guardian Council disqualified multiple reformist figures ahead of the 2021 presidential election, facilitating the victory of the ultraconservative Raisi.
That election witnessed a record-low turnout, with only 48.8 percent of registered voters participating.
The upcoming June vote will occur during a turbulent period, marked by the ongoing Gaza war between Iran’s arch-foe Israel and the Tehran-backed Palestinian group Hamas, as well as persistent diplomatic tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.