Iranian ex-president: I face many adversities

  25 May 2013    Read: 616
Iranian ex-president: I face many adversities
Iranian ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has been disqualified for the upcoming presidential election, has said in a statement on Friday that he has always been facing many adversities, Mehr reported.
"Toward establishing fair and for the sake of the people`s welfare, I have faced and will face the worst adversities," the statement says.

The Interior Ministry announced the list of qualified candidates on Tuesday, but Rafsanjani, who is currently the chairman of the Expediency Council, was not in the list.

"One year ago, a different strata of the society, including political and religious figures, artists, athletes, industrialists, women, youth encouraged me to run for the presidential election to play a role in resolving political, economic, cultural, and social problems, and most important, international sanctions and threats," Rafsanjani said.

In his statement, Hashemi neither recommended people to attend the elections nor supported any of the qualified candidates.

Previously, advisor to Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad-Reza Sadeqzadeh, said that Mr. Rafsanjani abides by law regarding his disqualification by the Guardian Council for the presidential election.

Sadeqzadeh added Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is committed to the Islamic system and will not dominate his ideas.

On May 21, the Guardian Council of Iran revealed the list of names approved for participation at the upcoming presidential elections in the country.

The council said that the country`s Constitution and the electoral legislation were the criteria for vetting presidential hopefuls.

The Guardian Council approved candidacies of MP Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, Expediency Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, Hassan Rohani, the director of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Council, former First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref, Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi, and former Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati.

The 11th presidential election in Iran is scheduled to be held on June 14, 2013.

The voters will select the successor of the current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is not able to participate in the elections for the third term according to the country`s constitutional laws.

The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election and the Guardian Council vets the candidates for qualifications.

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