Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA) Former Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani registered on Friday to run in the Islamic Republic’s March parliamentary election.
Larijani would be one of the highest profile candidates in the March 14 election.
4,100 people, including 250 women, signed up during a week-long registration process as candidates in the election for the 290-seat legislature ahead of a midnight deadline.
Larijani, who formerly headed the country’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and is now Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei’s representative at the same council, stressed that he did not intend to run for the polls, but that he changed his mind after several distinguished religious figures persuaded him to take part in the upcoming elections for the 8th parliament.
Larijani has enrolled in the list of Tehran’s candidates.
The Guardian Council will now start screening applicants for their political and religious qualifications.
The final list of approved candidates will be announced on March 5. Candidates will then have one week to campaign.
Another former chief nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani, also registered for the vote.
