TEHRAN (Iran News) – Head of the Iranian Interior Ministry’s Election Commission says the government and the Interior Ministry have no plan to delay the forthcoming presidential election and polls will open on schedule on June 18.
“Given the legal process used to determine the election schedule on the basis of the [existing] law … preparations for holding the [presidential] election are proceeding according to [the envisioned] plan and voting will take place on the scheduled day,” Jamal Orf said on Sunday.
He added that elections have never been postponed in the country under any circumstances following the victory of the Islamic Revolution and the upcoming presidential election will not be delayed and will be held on June 18.
The official dismissed as “personal speculation” certain reports by political and media figures about the possibility of the postponement of the 2021 presidential election, saying, “The government and Interior Ministry have no plan to postpone the election and we announce this clearly.”
He pointed to the exacerbation of the coronavirus pandemic in Iran and the need to observe health protocols during the election process, saying, “The interior minister has repeatedly put emphasis on precise implementation of health protocols related to the election process, which have previously been formulated and should be observed painstakingly.”Orf noted that the presidential election will be held in one single day in about 70,000 constituencies under safe conditions and, as much as possible in open places or in places with high roofs and proper ventilation.
Who can run for president in Iran?
As stipulated in the Constitution, the President is elected for a four-year term by direct vote, and is allowed only two successive terms, although he can run for a third nonconsecutive term.
To run for president, a candidate must satisfy six key qualifications outlined in the Constitution, namely being an Iranian national and of Iranian origin, having “administrative capacity and resourcefulness” besides a good past record and the qualities of trustworthiness and piety. The President must also have a firm belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Islam, the official religion of the country.
