- विज्ञापन -
Presidential elections are being held in Iran today. Voting has started at 8 am at more than 58,000 polling booths across the country.
There are more than 6 crore voters in the election who will decide the new president after Ibrahim Raisi’s death in a plane crash last month.
Six candidates were in the race for the presidential election but 2 candidates withdrew their names a few hours before voting.
According to Iranian media, conservative leaders do not want the votes of radical leaders to be divided, which will benefit liberal leaders.
Revolutionary force leaders showing unity
On Wednesday night, Vice President Amir Hussain Qazizadeh Hashemi withdrew his name. He said that he has taken this step to maintain the unity of the Revolutionary Force.
Qazizadeh Hashemi expressed hope that the other candidates in the race, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Saeed Jalili and Ali Reza Zakani, would reach a consensus before the elections to strengthen the Revolutionary Forces.
Tehran Mayor also withdrew
A few hours after Vice President Qazizadeh Hashemi’s appeal, Tehran Mayor Ali Reza Zakani decided to withdraw. He announced this by posting on social media.
Zakani had also withdrawn in 2021 to strengthen the claim of President Ibrahim Raisi. Zakani has called on the other two radical candidates in the race to show solidarity.
There are now four candidates in the presidential race, 2 of whom are not associated with the Revolutionary Forces. After the withdrawal of the claim of two prominent people, it is possible that only one of Saeed Jalili and Qalibaf remains in the final race.
7 women also applied
According to the election rules, the application of all the candidates is reviewed by the Guardian Council of Iran. Only after getting their approval, any candidate can contest the election.
In this election, 80 people applied to become the President. However, the Guardian Council found only 6 eligible to contest the election. The Guardian Council also did not approve former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to contest the election.
Ali Larijani, who has been the Speaker of the Parliament thrice, also applied to contest the presidential election but he was also not included in the final list. This time 7 women also applied to contest the election, but did not get approval.
