We vet candidates based on election law, not political backgrounds: Iran's Constitutional Council
Yusef Jalali
Press TV, Tehran
With less than 24 hours left to the presidential vote in Iran, the Constitutional Council, which vets the nominees and oversees the election, held a presser to elaborate on the upcoming vote and to take questions from Iranian and international media.
The majority of the questions focused on the vetting procedure. In this election, many heavyweight hopefuls from both the reformist and Principlist camps were not approved by the council.
At the last minute, three candidates stepped out of the race; Mohsen Mehralizadeh as well as Sa'eed Jalili and Alireza Zakani who dropped out to rally behind Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, the sitting judiciary chief, who is close to the Principlist camp.
Asked about the criteria for approving the candidates, the Constitutional Council’s spokesman said the vetting body is impartial with regards to the candidates' political affiliation.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, this time, the election is being held with strict health protocols in effect.
Campaigning was also conducted with limited rallying, and candidates instead campaigned through televised speeches and debates.
Iranians will go to polls on June 18 to choose their next president.
The Constitutional Council says it vetted the candidates based on Iran's constitution and did not apply any personal considerations in the process.
All in all, this time, the election campaigns were not a platform for a clash of political parties, but a contest of policies; policies that would help boost the nation’s economy among other things.
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