Iran Approves Six Candidates for June 28 Presidential Election

Following the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, six candidates including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf have been approved to contend in the upcoming emergency presidential election scheduled for June 28.

The approved candidates are Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Massoud Pezeshkian, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Alireza Zakani, Saeed Jalili, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

The registration window for candidates closed on June 3 with 80 people registering. The Constitutional Council was tasked with vetting the candidates over a seven-day period, extendable by five days.

Notable figures disqualified from running include former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ali Larijani, a moderate who previously served three terms as parliament speaker. Both were also barred from running in 2021.

Originally set for 2025, the presidential election was moved up due to Raisi's untimely death on May 19 in northern Iran. Raisi, who was 63, had been anticipated to run for re-election and was a key figure in the potential succession of Iran’s 85-year-old supreme leader.

Supreme Leader Khamenei has called for a fair and respectful campaign among candidates, which is set to start on Wednesday. Former Vice-President Mohammad-Ali Abtahi indicated on X that the main contenders are likely to be Ghalibaf and Pezeshkian, with other candidates including hardliners and notable politicians such as former minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi and Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani.