Economy, nuclear issue top agenda as Iran elects President

IRAN: Iran elects on Friday a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Guardians Council, an unelected vetting body, approved eight men out of 686 hopefuls to stand in the election, and the list is dominated by conservatives close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

That fits with Khamenei's desire for "an orderly, calm and undisputed election," said Alireza Nader, a researcher at the RAND Corporation, the American policy research institute.

At the forefront of a Western confrontation with Iran over its nuclear programme, the United States and France have denounced the "lack of transparency" in the campaign. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a prominent figure in the Iranian revolution who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was surprisingly barred from running, as was Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, a divisive figure close to the incumbent.

The candidate list consists of five conservatives, including top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

Two contenders, ex-chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani and Mohammad Reza Aref, an ex-first vice president, are appealing to the moderate and reformist bases. Ahmadinejad himself is barred by the constitution from running for a third term.

Three live televised debates with a tightly controlled format failed to ignite the campaign, and were criticised by both viewers and participants.

Public, open-air rallies are banned, and campaign posters are mostly absent across the country.

On Tuesday, Khamenei called on Iranians to get out and vote in numbers, saying a high turnout would foil foreign attempts to undermine the election. However, most of the 50.5 million voters are more concerned about the dire state of the economy.

AFP