Iran cuts presidential shortlist

President Khatami is expected to be on the shortlist for June's presidential election

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's list of more than 800 potential presidential candidates has been cut to 30, state radio reported.

The hardline Guardian Council -- which vets all potential candidates - will now take another look at the shortlist to check the Islamic credentials of the presidential hopefuls.

President Mohammad Khatami, who is seeking re-election, is expected to be on the shortlist which will be made public over the coming days.

Final screening results are expected by May 18 but Iran's main reformist party has already started campaigning for the June 8 election.

The Islamic Iran Participation Front, using slogans such as Iran for all Iranians, do not mention any individual candidate by name but it is run by the president's brother and has supported Khatami previously.

The 12-man Guardian Council is made up of six conservative clerics appointed by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and six lawyers chosen by parliament from a shortlist submitted by the judiciary chief who is also named by Khamenei.

Hardliners within the Iranian establishment have often tried -- sometimes successfully -- to restrict Khatami's reforming policies.

His main challenger from the right is expected to be economist Ahmad Tavakoli, who has criticised his conservative allies for their obsession with the issue of illicit relations between the sexes.

In a speech, quoted in the daily Tosea newspaper, he said conservatives should instead be cracking down on corruption.

Castro ends visit to Iran
May 10, 2001

Presidency of Iran

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.