Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is currently at the election headquarters in the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs in order to register to participate in the upcoming early presidential elections, appointed after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a plane crash, Iranian state television reports.
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“Mahmoud Ahmadinejad entered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to register for the presidential elections,” the explanation for the footage of the ex-president in the Ministry of Internal Affairs building, posted on the official Telegram channel of Iranian state television said.
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Over the past three days, such well-known Iranian politicians as the former head of the Iranian parliament Ali Larijani, the former head of the country’s Central Bank Abd-ol Nasser Hemmati, the representative of the Supreme Leader of Iran in the Supreme National Security Council Said Jalili, who plays an active role in the administration of the Supreme leader of Iran, ex-commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite units of the Armed Forces) General Seyed Vahid Hagganian, mayor of the Iranian capital Alireza Zakani, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili.
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Also nominated to participate in the race for the presidency were the former Minister of Health and Medical Education of Iran during the second presidential term of Mohammad Khatami (2001-2005) and member of parliament Masoud Pezeshkian, former Deputy Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Ahmad Rasouli-nejad, Secretary General of the Democratic Party Mostafa Kawakebian, Secretary General of the Independence and Equality Party Ghodratali Heshmatian, former Secretary of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters Fada-Hossein Maleki, current Members of Parliament Mohammadreza Sabbaghian, Abbas Mogtaday and Mohammad Khoshchehre, as well as former parliamentarians Mahmoud Ahmadi-Bigash, Habibollah Dehmarde and Seyyed Mohammadreza Mir-Taj-od-dini.
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New presidential elections, according to Article 131 of the Iranian constitution, must be held within 50 days of the declaration of the death or incapacity of the president and the transfer of his duties to the first vice president. This position is currently held by Mohammad Mokhber.
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According to the approved election calendar, registration of candidates will be carried out from May 30 to June 3, and verification of candidates’ compliance with the requirements will be carried out from June 4 to 10. The final list of names of candidates will be announced on June 11, the agency said in a statement.
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Election campaigning will be possible for two weeks – from June 12 to June 26. A day before the elections, a “day of silence” will be declared, during which time campaigning is prohibited. The presidential elections will take place on June 28. The second round, if necessary, will take place on July 5.
