The three Iranian presidential candidates who were barred from running issued a statement criticizing the unelected, 12-member Guardian Council, which operates under the influence of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The Overseer Council, which reviews candidates, Only 6 of over 80 proposals approved Key figures who had registered to run were disqualified, including former parliament speaker Ali Larijani and former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, who was disqualified from running for president for two consecutive terms, said the council's structure was “opaque,” while former senior officials Eshaq Jahangiri and Abbas Akhundi called on the council to explain the reasons for its disqualification.
Over the past three decades, the Guardian Council has rejected hundreds of candidates in presidential and parliamentary elections. But the practice has become even more notorious since 2020, when the Council barred non-hardline candidates from running in two parliamentary and one presidential elections. In 2021, it also blocked a major candidate, paving the way for hardline candidate Ebrahim Raisi to win in a low-turnout election.
In a message posted in full on social media platform X on Monday, Larijani said the Guardian Council had used “opaque mechanisms” to block his re-nomination, despite positive feedback from responsible institutions and judicial rulings rejecting some of the council's previous claims.
“My decision to run for office is motivated by the current critical situation: the difficult economic situation and Iran's delicate international position, especially the repressive sanctions that are damaging the lives of our people. I hope that with your help, we can overcome these obstacles and pave the way for Iran's national development,” Larijani wrote in his protest letter on Monday.
Previously, as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Larijani played a key role in negotiations with countries around the world regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear program, and was also instrumental in forging a long-term agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and China.
Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, a close aide to former President Hassan Rouhani, also protested his denial in a post on X. He demanded that the Oversight Council clarify the reasons for its decision. Jahangiri's candidacy for the presidency was approved in the last election.
Abbas Akhundi, a former minister and another disqualified candidate, wrote in a statement on social media platform X to the head of the Guardian Council, 97-year-old Ahmad Jannati, that he “suspects that some of the reports received by the Council have created ambiguity in the minds of the esteemed members of the Council.”
He added: “I wish to uphold my own legal rights and the rights of my constituents at the official council meeting. I therefore request to be present at the council meeting within the statutory timeline to provide the necessary clarification.”
So far, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has not issued a statement about his disqualification. He was seen as a key candidate with a large base of popular support. He was also barred from running in the 2017 presidential election, and has become a vocal critic of the government's top brass, promising major reforms if elected president.
