Iran: Raisi killed in helicopter crash, registration period for presidential election begins
ExpandingDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Iranian government on Thursday opened a five-day registration period for candidates who want to run in the June 28 presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash along with seven other people earlier this month.
The election comes as Iran is grappling with widespread protests across the country, including in the aftermath of the May 19 crash, rising tensions between Tehran and the United States, and protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.
While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 85, retains final say over all state affairs, successive presidents have steered the Islamic Republic towards greater ties and growing hostility with the West.
During the five-day period, people between the ages of 40 and 75 with a master's degree or higher can register as candidates. All candidates must ultimately be approved by Iran's 12-member Guardian Council, a committee of clerics and jurists that is ultimately overseen by Ayatollah Khamenei. For example, the council has never approved a woman, nor anyone calling for radical changes to the country's ruling system.
Raisi, a protégé of Khamenei, won Iran's 2021 presidential election after the Guardian Council disqualified all potential candidates running against him. The vote saw the lowest turnout in Iran's presidential election history, likely a reflection of voter discontent with both hardline clerics sanctioned by the U.S. for their role in mass executions in 1988 and Iran's Shiite theocracy that has endured more than four decades since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The question remains as to who will run and be accepted. The country's acting president, Mohammed Mokbel, who has been a behind-the-scenes bureaucrat until now, is likely the front-runner because he has already been seen meeting with Khamenei. Also being mentioned as contenders are hardline former president Mohammed Ahmadinejad and reformist former president Mohammed Khatami, but whether they will be able to run is another matter.
The five-day registration period ends on Tuesday, after which the Guardian Council is expected to publish a final list of candidates within 10 days, allowing for a condensed two-week campaign before the vote in late June.
While the new president takes office, Iran continues to enrich near-weapons-grade uranium and thwarts international inspections. Iran has supplied weapons to Russia in the Ukraine war and launched drone and missile attacks on Israel during the Gaza war. Iran also continues to supply weapons to its proxies in the Middle East, including the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Iran's economy, meanwhile, has been struggling for years due to the collapse of its currency, the rial. Widespread protests have swept across the country, most recently over the death of Amini, who was arrested for refusing to wear a mandatory headscarf against the wishes of authorities. UN investigators have said the Iranian government was responsible for the “physical violence” that led to her death.
Raisi is only the second Iranian president to die in office: Mohammed Ali Rajaei was killed in a bomb attack in 1981 during the turmoil that followed the Islamic Revolution.
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Amir Vadat contributed to this report from Tehran.
