A five-day registration period for candidates in Iran’s June 14 presidential election begins on Tuesday, with a string of conservative hopefuls in the running but with key reformists yet to come forward.
The polls will be followed closely in the West four years after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election for a second term sparked a wave of violent protests that were suppressed by the regime with deadly force.
Under the constitution, Ahmadinejad cannot stand for a third consecutive four-year term.
His successor is expected to face an array of challenges, including Iran’s worsening economy targeted by international sanctions over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
The process of screening candidates is entrusted to the Guardians Council, an unelected body controlled by religious conservatives appointed by Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all key issues.
The council is set to announce the names of those who have been cleared to stand no later than May 23.