Iran starts registering election candidates

AP: Iran has started registering candidates for next month’s presidential election that will pick a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The hard-line Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog that supervises the elections, will vet the applicants before allowing them to run in the June 14 elections. The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has started registering candidates for next month’s presidential election that will pick a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The hard-line Guardian Council, a constitutional watchdog that supervises the elections, will vet the applicants before allowing them to run in the June 14 elections. The list of candidates will be announced later this month.

The 5-day registration process stated on Tuesday.

In a live TV broadcast, Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar urged presidential hopefuls to register quickly and not wait until the last day. Leading candidates usually wait until the last days of the registration period, which ends Saturday evening.

Ahmadinejad is barred by law from seeking a third term due to term limits under Iran’s constitution.