Two Iranian presidential hopefuls have dropped their bid for the Islamic Republics upcoming presidential election.Former Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast issued a statement on Sunday saying he is no longer in the presidential race.
Davoud Ahmadinejad, the elder brother of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, also wrote a letter to the Guardian Council, saying he would abandon the race.
Reports say Davoud Ahmadinejad made the decision in favor of Principlist presidential hopeful Saeed Jalili, who is the secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
Earlier in the day, Guardian Council Spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei said the supervisory body might approve as many as 40 presidential hopefuls for the election.
A total of 686 individuals registered from May 7 to 11 for the Islamic Republics 11th presidential election, which will be held on June 14.
Guardian Council is vetting hopefuls running for the presidential election. Official campaigning will start two days after the Council releases its final list of approved candidates.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election.
By Press TV
The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.
