Iran opens registration for June presidential election
Iran opened a five-day registration period Thursday for hopefuls wanting to run in the June 28 presidential election to replace the late Ebrahim Raisi, who lost his life in a helicopter crash earlier this month.
The former Iranian president, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others died on May 19, when their helicopter crashed in foggy weather in the mountains near the northwestern border with Azerbaijan. Their bodies were found the following day after a massive search operation.
The official registration process began upon an order by Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Thursday.
All candidates must be approved by the 12-member Constitutional Council, a key constitutional and religious supervision body responsible for ensuring sound elections. The Interior Ministry will announce the names of the approved nominees on June 11.
Following the martyrdom of President Raeisi and his companions, heads of the three branches of the Iranian government agreed on Monday that the snap presidential election will be held on June 28.