Iran Approves Six Candidates for Snap Presidential Election

Iran's Guardian Council, which oversees elections and legislation, has approved six candidates to run for president in snap elections to be held later this month after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, Iran's State TV reported.

Iran's Interior Ministry has released the final list of six approved candidates for the 14th presidential election, which is set to take place on June 28.

A spokesman for the ministry, Mohsen Eslami, announced the names of the candidates, who were vetted and approved by the Constitutional Council, a 12-member election supervisory body.

Among those approved are current Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, he said.

He added that the Council approved Massoud Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate, who was former health minister and former lawmaker representing Tabriz in Iran's Parliament.

Former justice minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi and current Head of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs Amir Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi have also been authorized to run, the spokesman noted.

These six candidates were among the 80 hopefuls who registered for the election.

The snap vote is slated for June 28 and will elect a new president to replace Ebrahim Raeisi, who died in a tragic helicopter crash in northwestern Iran on May 19 along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six of their companions.

Those cleared by the vetting body will have two weeks to campaign, present their manifestos and participate in televised debates before the election.