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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Iran approves main presidential candidates | Iran approves main presidential candidates |
| (39 minutes later) | |
| Iran's electoral council has approved the four main candidates for the 12 June presidential poll, reports say. | Iran's electoral council has approved the four main candidates for the 12 June presidential poll, reports say. |
| They include President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is seeking a second term in office, the semi-official Mehr news agency said. | They include President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is seeking a second term in office, the semi-official Mehr news agency said. |
| Two leading reformists have also had their qualifications approved - former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi and ex-parliament speaker Mehdi Karoubi. | Two leading reformists have also had their qualifications approved - former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi and ex-parliament speaker Mehdi Karoubi. |
| Former Revolutionary Guards chief, Mohsen Rezai, can also run. | |
| "The name of candidates... approved by the [Guardian Council] are as announced: Ahmadinejad , Karoubi, Mousavi and Mohsen Rezai," said an Iranian Interior Ministry statement quoted by state media. | "The name of candidates... approved by the [Guardian Council] are as announced: Ahmadinejad , Karoubi, Mousavi and Mohsen Rezai," said an Iranian Interior Ministry statement quoted by state media. |
| Campaigning | Campaigning |
| The 12-member Guardian Council has the power to approve candidates for elections in Iran. | The 12-member Guardian Council has the power to approve candidates for elections in Iran. |
| In keeping with the constitution, candidates must believe in the principles of the Islamic republic and have a prominent political and religious background. | In keeping with the constitution, candidates must believe in the principles of the Islamic republic and have a prominent political and religious background. |
| More than 450 Iranians, including 42 women, had registered as prospective candidates but only the four leading contenders were accepted. | More than 450 Iranians, including 42 women, had registered as prospective candidates but only the four leading contenders were accepted. |
| Campaigning is already well underway in Iran, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from Tehran, with all the candidates seeking to replace Mr Ahmadinejad heavily criticising his management of the economy. | Campaigning is already well underway in Iran, the BBC's Jon Leyne reports from Tehran, with all the candidates seeking to replace Mr Ahmadinejad heavily criticising his management of the economy. |
| Some have also criticised his comments on the Holocaust and called for a less confrontational foreign policy, our correspondent adds. | Some have also criticised his comments on the Holocaust and called for a less confrontational foreign policy, our correspondent adds. |
| Campaigning will run until 10 June, with results due to be declared a day after the 12 June vote. | Campaigning will run until 10 June, with results due to be declared a day after the 12 June vote. |
| Some 46 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the poll, which will be Iran's 10th presidential election since the 1979 Islamic revolution. | Some 46 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the poll, which will be Iran's 10th presidential election since the 1979 Islamic revolution. |