9 April 2009

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad formally registered as a candidate on Friday for a second term as the Islamic republic's president, the ISNA news agency reported.
  
Ahmadinejad went to the interior ministry and officially registered, the ISNA report said. The president was accompanied to the interior ministry by his campaign manager Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi and media advisor Mehdi Kalhor, as well as two vice presidents - Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie and Ali Saeedlou.
  
The state IRNA news agency said only that the president had arrived at the ministry to register his candidacy.
  
Ahmadinejad was the second of the four leading candidates expected to stand in the June 12 election to formally register.
  
Earlier on Friday, the ex-chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, Mohsen Rezai, also registered. Rezai headed the Revolutionary Guards Corps for 16 years until 1997.
  
Former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi are also expected to stand.

Iran Opens Registration Access for Presidential Candidates

Iran on Tuesday opened the five-day period for presidential hopefuls to formally register for the June 12 election, expected to be a key test for the country's dominant conservatives.
 
Former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and former parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi have already announced plans to run for the presidency and are expected to officially register before the deadline expires on May 9.
 
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took power in August 2005, has yet to declare his candidacy, despite that the Iranian outspoken leader wasted no time to register to seek another four-year term.
 
Mohsen Rezai, the former head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corp, is also planning to stand.
 
According to Iranian law, candidates have to personally present themselves to the interior ministry to register or send their legally appointed representative to complete the official procedure.

According to the constitution, candidates should have a political and religious background, hold Iranian citizenship and believe in the principles of the Islamic republic and the official religion of the country. The candidates have to be at least 18 years old but the upper age limit has not been specified.
 
After the registration, Iran's 12-member Guardians Council will screen the candidates and give a final ruling on those who can stand for the election. The names of successful candidates will be announced on May 20 and 21, with the election campaign running to June 10. The interior ministry has said results will be declared a day after the election.