Iran's Elections Headquarters has announced that six hopefuls who had signed up for the 11th presidential vote have pulled out of the race so far.First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi and Agricultural Jihad Minister Sadeq Khalilian are among the half a dozen candidates who have officially withdrawn their bids for presidency, said Seyyed Solat Mortazavi, the secretary of the headquarters and a deputy interior minister, on Tuesday.
My participation [in the presidential race] is likely to slow down or bring to a halt some [of my] heavy executive responsibilities. Therefore, I decided to pull out, Rahimi said on Monday.
Ali Akbar Javanfekr, an advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the former CEO of IRNA, also announced his decision to drop his bid on Monday.
Javanfekr said he had made the decision after consultations with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The registration of hopefuls for the June 14 election began on Tuesday, March 7 at Irans Interior Ministry and ended on Saturday, March 11.
A total of 686 individuals signed up for the race.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election; and the Guardian Council vets the hopefuls, approving or not approving them for official candidacy.
The Iranian Constitution stipulates that presidential candidates must be religious or political figures, be Iranian by origin, have Iranian citizenship, possess 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 countrys official religion.
By Press TV
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