Iran on Thursday began the registration of candidates for an early presidential election next month, following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. After the five-day registration period, the Guardian Council, responsible for overseeing elections and legislation, will vet the presidential candidates, as announced by Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi on state TV. Snap elections in the Islamic Republic are scheduled for June 28.
“The vetting process will take seven days, after which qualified candidates will have almost two weeks for the election campaign,” Vahidi told state TV. The Guardian Council is set to publish the list of qualified candidates on June 11.
Moderate politicians have accused the 12-member hardline Guardian Council of disqualifying rival candidates, a move that is expected to favor hardline candidates in the upcoming presidential race. Moreover, voter turnout may be impacted by the limited choice on the ballot and growing discontent over various political, social, and economic crises.
Raisi, once considered a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s aging ultimate decision-maker, has left a power vacuum, igniting a race among hardliners to influence the selection of Iran’s next leader.
At present, Mohammad Mokhber has been appointed as the interim head of the executive branch. Following Article 131 of the Constitution, which dictates that the first vice president assumes temporary presidency in the event of the president’s death, Mokhber has stepped into this role. The transition of power was confirmed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.