Iran lifts ban, reformists back in polls

Iran’s hardline Guardian Council watchdog on Tuesday reversed its ban on two reformists excluded from Presidential elections on June 17...

Iran’s hardline Guardian Council watchdog on Tuesday reversed its ban on two reformists excluded from Presidential elections on June 17, easing a row that had sparked some calls for a boycott of the vote.

The reinstatement of former Education Minister Mostafa Moin and Vice President for Sports Mohsen Mehr-Alizadeh raised the number of candidates to eight and made the election outcome harder to predict.

It followed the intervention of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who took the unusual step on Monday of urging the Guardian Council to overturn its disqualification of the two.

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Khamenei has said a broad range of candidates is essential to encourage the high voter turnout needed to send a message to Iran’s enemies at a time when the Islamic state faces heightened pressure from Washington which accuses Tehran of building nuclear weapons and backing terrorism.

The Guardian Council had originally cleared six candidates—five of them conservatives. They include former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a moderate conservative cleric and renowned powerbroker who leads opinion polls.

Moin is an outspoken reformist who has promised to tackle human rights abuses if elected. Mehr-Alizadeh is not considered a serious contender.

Moin’s reinstatement could offer reformists a lifeline to retain the Presidency held by liberal cleric Mohammad Khatami since 1997. Khatami is ineligible to run for a third consecutive term.

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It may also damage the chances of Rafsanjani, whose moderate message of detente with the West and economic liberalisation appeals to reformist supporters.

The Islamic Iran Participation Front, in a statement said it would decide at an emergency meeting on Thursday whether to take part in the vote or not. —Reuters