Ghalibaf Among Six Approved Candidates for Iran's Presidential Election

The Guardian Council in Iran has approved six candidates to run in the upcoming presidential election on June 28. The approved candidates include Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and five others, including former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani. In contrast, only one reformist candidate, Massoud Pezeshkian, has been authorized to run, while 74 other hopefuls were disqualified. The approved candidates were selected from a pool of 80 registered individuals by the Guardian Council, which oversees elections in Iran. Notably, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was again barred from running, despite being a prominent figure in Iranian politics. The election is taking place after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and seven others in a helicopter crash. The approved candidates are predominantly conservatives, with only one reformist candidate making the cut. The two-week campaign period has begun, with the goal of replacing Raisi, who was once considered a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.