Brother of late Iranian president Rafsanjani runs for presidential election
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Brother of the former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has officially registered to run for the upcoming Iranian presidential election following what he called a “collective” decision from his family.
The 75-year old Mohammad Hashemi, a former head of the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, visited the registration center based in the interior ministry in Tehran Saturday morning, saying that he will stay in the race if the conditions are “right.”
The incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, and his main conservative rival Ebrahim Raisi also registered their candidacy on Friday.
President Rouhani said that keeping the nuclear deal, which his government brokered with western powers during his presidency, would be one of his priorities in his second term in office.
"From today on, preserving the nuclear deal will be one of the most important domestic, political and economic issues for the Iranian nation,” Rouhani told reporters, also pledging support for more freedom in public places.
Raisi, regarded as close to the Supreme Leader, told reporters following his registration that he aims to fight poverty and corruption. Regarding Iran’s foreign policy, he explained that he supports open relations with all countries except for Israel on condition that Iran's "dignity" is respected. He added that he believes the presence of “foreign countries” in Syria “would make things more complicated.”
Iran is one of the main backers of the Syrian regime in the six-year civil war that has claimed about half a million lives, according to some estimates.
The Guardian Council, a powerful body of 12 clerics, has to approve the eligibility of the candidates before their candidacy is made final. The Council rejected the two-term president Rafsanjani’s candidacy in 2013, forcing him to rally support for President Rouhani’s election bid.
President Rafsanjani died in January of a heart condition.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered his name last Wednesday, despite Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's advice last year that he should not run again fearing that his candidacy may cause polarization.
Ahmadinejad told reporters that he signed up only to show support for his former deputy Hamid Baghae who also registered for the election.
Saturday is the last day for the candidates to register their names. Over 1,000 people have so far registered to run for the post, including several women.
Iranians go to the polls on May 19.
The 75-year old Mohammad Hashemi, a former head of the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, visited the registration center based in the interior ministry in Tehran Saturday morning, saying that he will stay in the race if the conditions are “right.”
The incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, and his main conservative rival Ebrahim Raisi also registered their candidacy on Friday.
President Rouhani said that keeping the nuclear deal, which his government brokered with western powers during his presidency, would be one of his priorities in his second term in office.
"From today on, preserving the nuclear deal will be one of the most important domestic, political and economic issues for the Iranian nation,” Rouhani told reporters, also pledging support for more freedom in public places.
Raisi, regarded as close to the Supreme Leader, told reporters following his registration that he aims to fight poverty and corruption. Regarding Iran’s foreign policy, he explained that he supports open relations with all countries except for Israel on condition that Iran's "dignity" is respected. He added that he believes the presence of “foreign countries” in Syria “would make things more complicated.”
Iran is one of the main backers of the Syrian regime in the six-year civil war that has claimed about half a million lives, according to some estimates.
The Guardian Council, a powerful body of 12 clerics, has to approve the eligibility of the candidates before their candidacy is made final. The Council rejected the two-term president Rafsanjani’s candidacy in 2013, forcing him to rally support for President Rouhani’s election bid.
President Rafsanjani died in January of a heart condition.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad registered his name last Wednesday, despite Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's advice last year that he should not run again fearing that his candidacy may cause polarization.
Ahmadinejad told reporters that he signed up only to show support for his former deputy Hamid Baghae who also registered for the election.
Saturday is the last day for the candidates to register their names. Over 1,000 people have so far registered to run for the post, including several women.
Iranians go to the polls on May 19.