Calling All Iranian Presidential Candidates, Moderates Need Not Apply

Registration kicked off in Iran on Tuesday for candidates to run in the Islamic Republic’s upcoming presidential election, scheduled for June. The field is wide open as the incumbent, President Hassan Rouhani, is not allowed to run due to term limits for the job. There has been little public interest in the upcoming election by a population struggling under the burden of heavy economic sanctions and the devastating effects of the coronavirus. Rouhani is considered to be a relative moderate; many of his possible successors are leaders in the more radical Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Guardian Council, a 12-member panel that operates under the watchful eye of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, must approve of all candidates.