The Monday Briefing: Brexit trade deal and Amazon drapersonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from drapersonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Nazila Fathi
Non-Resident Scholar
Iran’s hardline Guardian Council, the body that vets candidates, barred hundreds of hopefuls who had registered to run for the June 18 presidential race, paving the way for the current judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, to run almost unchallenged. The other six candidates who were approved to participate have next to no voter base.
Among those excluded from the race were the current vice president, Ishaq Jahangiri, and a former speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, both high-profile politicians who would have won the votes of more moderate constituents. The line-up of candidates highlights the conservatives’ unwillingness to take any risk that might derail Raisi’s ascent to the presidency.
Nazila Fathi
Non-Resident Scholar
Iran’s hardline Guardian Council, the body that vets candidates, barred hundreds of hopefuls who had registered to run for the June 18 presidential race, paving the way for the current judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, to run almost unchallenged. The other six candidates who were approved to participate have next to no voter base.
Among those excluded from the race were the current vice president, Ishaq Jahangiri, and a former speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, both high-profile politicians who would have won the votes of more moderate constituents. The line-up of candidates highlights the conservatives’ unwillingness to take any risk that might derail Raisi’s ascent to the presidency.