Iran Bans Presidential Campaigns One Day Ahead of ElectionIran's Elections Headquarters on Wednesday announced that all presidential campaigns must be stopped as of 09:00 a.m. (0430 GMT) Thursday, the official IRNA news agency reported.According to the national elections law, any campaign is prohibited 24 hours ahead of the election, the Elections Headquarters said in a statement, adding that polls will begin at 09:00 a.m. (0430 GMT) Friday. On May 16, Iran's election watchdog Guardians Council greenlighted 10 presidential candidates, including incumbent President Mohammad Khatami, to run for the June 8 election. The candidates began their campaigns two days later. The Election Headquarters also warned against moves to remove posters and pictures of the hopefuls posted at authorized places before the legal deadline. Local press said that facing other nine mainly-conservative opponents, Khatami, who won a sweeping victory in the 1997 presidential election, may still be the favorite this time though his advantage may be dented heavily by the conservative in his first term. |
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