Eighty politicians have registered as candidates in Iran's upcoming presidential election during the past five days, the Iranian Interior Ministry said.
According to the ministry, 80 people filed their candidacy before the deadline on Monday for the June 28 election, which was called after late president Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19.
The five-day registration process kicked off on Thursday at the Interior Ministry in the Iranian capital Tehran. After the registration, the vetting of candidates will begin on Tuesday and continue until June 10, with the final nominees to be announced on June 11.
Qualified candidates will then have 15 days, from June 12 to June 26, to conduct their electoral campaigns.
Among the prominent candidates are Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. The other candidates include former parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani and former first vice-president Eshaq Jahangiri. Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also signed up to run in the election.
The 14th presidential election, originally scheduled for 2025, was brought forward due to the unexpected death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19 in the northwestern province of East Azarbaijan.
According to Iran's Constitution, the first vice president assumes the executive duties in such circumstances, with the interim president required to organize a new presidential election within a maximum of 50 days.
