Following the May 19 helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others, the country's Guardian Council on Sunday approved the country's hardline parliament speaker and five others to run in the June 28 presidential election.
The council again barred from running former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a populist known for cracking down after his disputed 2009 reelection and for cracking down on the 2009 Green Movement, which challenged Khamenei.
The approval of the candidates marks the start of a two-week campaign to choose a successor to Raisi, a hardline protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Oversight Council, a body of clerics and jurists overseen by Khamenei, wants to ensure a smooth process amid rising tensions over Iran's nuclear program and the Israel-Hamas war.
The council continues its trend of not endorsing women or candidates who advocate significant governance reform. The campaign is likely to feature televised debates and other traditional election activities, but the candidates have yet to reveal policy details. All of the candidates have pledged to improve the economy, despite sanctions over Iran's nuclear program.
The leading candidate is Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, 62, a former Tehran mayor with ties to the Revolutionary Guards whose record includes cracking down on students in 1999 and ordering live fire on them in 2003. He ran for president in 2005 and 2013 and supported Raisi in 2017.
Qalibaaf’s role in past crackdowns may come under different scrutiny in the wake of recent unrest, such as the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
The election comes amid rising tensions between Iran and the West, due in part to Iran's support for Russia in the war against Ukraine and its backing of Middle Eastern militias.
Raisi's helicopter crash remains under investigation but there have so far been no signs of foul play.
Melissa Enoch
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