Iran’s former president Rafsanjani registers candidacy for June presidential election

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has entered the race for the June presidential election.

Simultaneously, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s close confident Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei also signed up in the last minutes before Saturday’s registration deadline.

State TV showed both men at the Interior Ministry registering their names. A smiling Ahmadinejad accompanied Mashaei and raised the man’s hand in a gesture of support.

The registration of the two hopefuls puts forward a tough challenge to conservative candidates loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and will likely intensify competition between rival groups at the June 14 vote.

Rafsanjani is now the prime hopeful for reformists, who were widely crushed and left leaderless after massive street protests following Ahmadinejad’s disputed 2009 election victory.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles