Council Bars Hundreds of Presidential Hopefuls
A constitutional watchdog has cut the number of presidential candidates from 814 to 46 in an initial weeding out of unsuitable contenders, state-run Tehran television reported.
The watchdog, the Guardian Council, has not identified the 46 survivors but said it will announce Sunday the final list for the June 8 election, the television reported.
The 12-person council is dominated by political hard-liners.
To qualify, candidates must be involved in politics or religion, of Iranian origin, Muslim and “faithful to the cause of the Islamic Republic.”
President Mohammad Khatami is widely expected to be reelected.
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