Iran’s Guardian Council extends deadline for vetting presidential hopefuls

Source: 
Press TV
Publication date: 
May 16 2013

Iran's top electoral supervisory body, the Guardian Council (GC), has extended the deadline for announcing the names of approved hopefuls for the June 14 presidential race.

Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei, the spokesman for the body, said Thursday that the Guardian Council will have until the 21st of May to announce the final list of candidates.

Under Iran’s Election Law, the Guardian Council, the body tasked with the vetting process, is required to announce the list of approved hopefuls within five days after the end of registration. This period can be extended another five days if necessary.

After the vetting process is complete, the 12-member supervisory body will release the final list of candidates to the Interior Ministry, which will then publicize the roster.

Meanwhile, Ayatollah Mohammad Mo’men, a member of the Guardian Council, has said that the body might approve more than 10 candidates for the June presidential election.

The registration for the country’s 11th presidential election ended on May 11, with some 686 individuals having signed up for the vote.

The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election.

The Iranian Constitution stipulates that presidential candidates must be religious or political figures, be Iranian in origin, have Iranian citizenship, be resourceful and have managerial skills, have no criminal record, be trustworthy and pious, and have firm belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the country’s official religion.

http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/05/16/303830/guardian-council-extends-vetting-deadline/