Khatami Forges Ahead With 9 Others Presidential

Iran's oversight Guardians Council (GC) on Wednesday qualified the last 10 presidential candidates, including incumbent President Mohammad Khatami, kicking off the final stage of the upcoming June 8 presidential election campaign.

As expected, Khatami emerged easily out of the screening process overseen by the GC, a 12-man council which vets the potential candidates' conformity with the Islamic values.

In today's Iran, Khatami's clean-cut, well-dressed image and a father-like look help him win millions of hearts, especially those of the youth and women.

His qualification for the final is tantamount to burying the hopes of other aspirants who join the race out of various expectations. The smiling cleric is seen as the one to laugh last.

Among other top 10 presidential contenders, most of whom being low-profile, are Minister of Defense and Logistics Ali Shamkhani, former Information Minister Ali Fallahian, former Labor Minister Ahmad Tavakoli, former Energy Minister Hassan Ghafouri-Fard, and Mostafa Hashemi-Taba, head of the Physical Education Organization.

Chancellor of the Open University Abdullah Jasbi, university lecturer Mahmoud Kashani, former vice president Mansour Razavi, and former member of parliament Shahabuddin Sadr were also endorsed by the GC to move forward along with popular Khatami.

While the remaining nine might not necessarily be serious challengers to Khatami, they were the survivors from the powerful GC, which said on Wednesday that it had confirmed the eligibility of the 10 candidates after "complete and careful assessments" of their papers and "taking all things into consideration."

Those stumbling on the threshold of the presidency had their qualifications turned down since they did not have qualities required by the law, said a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency.

Others denied entry into the final stage of the heated campaign were deemed incompetent to handle state affairs, according to the IRNA. One noticeable absence in the list is Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, a former radical student in the 1979 take-over of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, who had slammed Khatami for his "unsuccessful record in office" and was deemed a potential threat to Khatami.

Local press had said earlier that several influential pro-reform groups were lobbying for the disqualification of Asgharzadeh, saying that his running in the elections could shutter consensus among reformist groups.

Farah Khosravi, the most eye-catching woman who declared her candidacy several months ago, withdrew her bid Tuesday under pressure from opponents.

The liberal-minded Khosravi was expected to garner votes from women, which make up a large chunk of the electorates.

Her stepping down has turned the election into an all-man race, during the last stage of which Khatami's appealing look is believed to endear himself to the people more than any other candidates can do.

In another development, in a move against Defense Minister Shamkhani's election bid, several members of parliament had protested against the participation of military candidates in the elections, citing that this was against the Iranian Constitution.

Meanwhile, the public opinion that believed Mostafa Hashemi-Taba whose position within Iran's sports establishment might enable him to become a dark horse would come to a standstill.

The tragic incident at a soccer field in Iran's northern city of Sari in Mazadaran Province in early May, which killed 15 spectators and injured several hundreds others, has dimmed his hope of becoming a heavy-weight contender and turned the soccer-mad Iranian youth against him.

Fallahian is also seen as a no-hope due to the murder charge filed against his son's killing of a police officer recently. The former intelligence minister was also accused by now-imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji of orchestrating the 1998 murders of several dissidents and writers.

The presidential election campaign begins on May 19 and all the qualified candidates are allowed to air their future plans 24 hours before the polls open on June 8.

From 814 total registers to a noticeably shrunk number of 46 and then 30 until Wednesday's 10 after rounds of screening by the GC, Iranians and global media have witnessed the narrowing number of the contestants and will keep eyes wide open to see who would emerge as the only survivor in the upcoming election race.






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