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Iran on Tuesday approved seven hopefuls to run in next month's presidential poll, a list dominated by ultra-conservatives.
The election-vetting Guardian Council disqualified moderate conservative Ali Larijani, in a surprise move that could clear the way for a strong run by ultra-conservative judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi in the June 18 election.
Raisi won 38 percent of the vote in the 2017 presidential election but was defeated by Hassan Rouhani, a moderate who is constitutionally barred from holding office for three consecutive terms.
The press had widely predicted a showdown between Raisi and former parliament speaker Larijani, who is currently an adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Reformists had pinned their hopes on Eshaq Jahangiri, first-vice president to incumbent Rouhani, but he was also barred.
The Guardian Council also barred firebrand former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as it did when he registered to be a candidate in 2017.
The list announced by the interior ministry sparked criticism from reformists and even conservatives.
Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani, a former judiciary chief, current head of the powerful Expediency Council and brother to Ali, called it "indefensible" and on Twitter accused "security bodies" of increasingly influencing the vetting body through "false reports," in what amounted to rare criticism from a high-ranking establishment figure.
Jahangiri said in a statement that the disqualifications posed "a serious threat to public participation and fair competition," especially for reformists.
Even Raisi appeared to object to the large number of disqualifications. "Since yesterday evening, when I was informed of the results,... I have made contacts and I am holding consultations to make the election scene more competitive and participatory," he said on Twitter.
Many political figures and analysts said it was hardly a competition anymore, as the disqualification of Raisi's main rivals should allow him an easy victory.
This may further dent hopes of a high turnout in the election, amid rising discontent over an economy crippled by U.S. sanctions.
The announcement also comes as Iran is engaged in talks with world powers aimed at reviving a 2015 nuclear deal after the U.S. withdrew from it in 2018.
In all, the Council approved just seven candidates out of 40 who met its basic criteria. These were already a small fraction of the 600 who had registered.
Besides Raisi, the approved candidates include ex-Revolutionary Guards chief Major General Mohsen Rezai; ultra-conservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili; ultra-conservative MPs Alireza Zakani and Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi; reformist ex-vice president Mehralizadeh, and central bank governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, deemed close to the left.
(CGTN)
