Iran says next president should be physically competent to work

TEHRAN, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The spokesman of Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution Abbasali Kadkhodaei said Monday that next Iranian president should be physically competent to be able to work for hours, the State IRIB TV reported.

Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution, the main legislative body of the country, is now studying the qualification of 680 candidates and will release the results on May 21.

The remarks, made a day ahead of releasing the list of approved candidates, can be a source of concern among the major reformist groups and moderate conservatives who have extended their support for nearly 80-year-old candidate Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.

Some Iranian hardline conservative lawmakers and presidential candidates have recently announced their opposition to the candidacy of former moderate president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani due to his age.

On Thursday, Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami voiced his support for Hashemi-Rafsanjani, saying that considering all the problems that the country faces, Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani is the most appropriate figure whose presence can be effective.

Hashemi-Rafsanjani served as president from 1989 to 1997 and recently re-run under the pressure of moderate and reformist groups, who see Hashemi-Rafsanjani as a powerful antidote to the dominance of the hardline conservatives over the social and political structure of the country.

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