Tehran hard-liner council bans leading centrists from presidential race

Iran's Guardian Council disqualified all the major moderate contenders from the country's presidential election, paving the way for a one-sided race and an anticipated victory for hard-line judicial chief Ibrahim Raisi.
Iran's former parliament speaker Ali Larijani delivers a speech after registering his candidacy for Iran's presidential elections, at the Interior Ministry in capital Tehran, on May 15, 2021, ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for June.
Iran's former parliament speaker Ali Larijani delivers a speech after registering his candidacy for Iran's presidential elections at the Interior Ministry in capital Tehran, on May 15, 2021, ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for June. - ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

The lengths Iran's Guardian Council went to to squash the presidential hopes of top moderates shocked even many hard-liners in the Islamic Republic.  

After nearly 10 days of deliberations, the 12-member body of ultraconservative clerics and lawyers came out with a list of seven candidates from among nearly 600 individuals who had registered. Ali Larijani, Iran's long-serving former parliament speaker, was not on the list.

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