Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has officially thrown his hat into the ring for the upcoming presidential elections in Iran. These elections were called after the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.
Alongside Ghalibaf, a total of 80 candidates have submitted their applications for the presidential run. However, the final list of candidates will be determined by the Guardian Council, a conservative-dominated body appointed or approved by Iran’s supreme leader.
The Guardian Council will review the applications and announce the approved candidates by June 11. Once approved, candidates will have two weeks to campaign, present their plans, and participate in televised debates before the election, which was initially scheduled for 2025 but was moved up due to Raisi’s unexpected passing.
Ghalibaf, a former commander of the Air Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war, has pledged to focus on improving the economy if elected. He served as the mayor of Tehran from 2005 to 2017 and previously held the position of chief of the Iranian police forces. Ghalibaf was elected as the speaker of the parliament on May 28, 2024, with a significant majority vote.
Aside from Ghalibaf, other notable candidates who have registered for the presidential bid include former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, moderate ex-parliament speaker Ali Larijani, and ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili.
The candidate registration period opened on Thursday and closed on Monday, with a diverse range of contenders vying for the top position in the Iranian government.
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