From early Tuesday morning, dozens of personnel at the Interior Ministry sat behind desktop computers, mounted two meters apart, to register candidates who were all obligated to wear masks and were only allowed a small entourage as the country continues to deal with a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections.
Candidate registration ended on Saturday at 6 p.m. local time. Saturday was the last day of registration in the June 18 presidential election. All hopefuls will have to undergo vetting by the Constitutional Council before they can actually run.
The Iranian presidential election registration period began on May 11. The Council will have until May 25 to examine the documents submitted by the hopefuls. It can extend the date by another five days if needed. The overseeing body will then release a final list of presidential candidates on May 26-27.
The next presidential election in Iran will be held simultaneously with council and midterm parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections.