Iranian presidential hopeful Ali Akbar Velayati says the Principalists will ultimately choose one candidate to run in the upcoming election.Velayati made the remarks in answer to a question about whether presidential hopeful Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf would drop his bid for presidency in favor of Saeed Jalili, who is the secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).
Velayati belongs to the principlist Coalition of Three, which also includes Qalibaf, Tehran Mayor, and lawmaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel. The coalition will pick one of its members as its nominee.
On Monday, another Principalist hopeful, Kamran Baqeri Lankarani, withdrew his bid for presidency in favor of Jalili, declaring his support for the SNSC secretary.
Lankarni was chosen by the principlist Perseverance Front as the frontrunner hopeful for the presidential election, which is due to be held on June 14.
A total of 686 hopefuls registered from May 7 to 11 for the Islamic Republics 11th presidential election. The Guardian Council, which is tasked with vetting hopefuls for candidacy and confirming the election results, is expected to submit the list of the candidates to the Interior Ministry on Tuesday.
Irans Deputy Interior Minister Solat Mortazavi said earlier on Tuesday that the names of the presidential candidates would be announced on May 22.
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.
The Iranian Constitution stipulates that presidential candidates must be religious or political figures, be Iranian by origin, have Iranian citizenship, 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 countrys official religion.
By Press TV
The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.
