Politicians planning to contest Iran's June presidential election will be able to register their candidacies from May 5, a senior Interior Ministry official said in comments published on Tuesday.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and ex-President Mohammad Khatami are expected to be the two main rivals in the June 12 election in the world's fourth-largest oil producer.

Khatami, who was president in 1997-2005, said last month he would run in the election while a senior aide to Ahmadinejad has told Reuters he would stand for a second four-year term. Former parliament speaker and reformer Mehdi Karoubi is also running.

"Presidential candidates for the 10th round of presidential elections can do the necessary registration beginning on Ordibehesht 15 (May 5) for a period of five days," Deputy Interior Minister Kamran Daneshju was quoted as saying by the Khorasan daily.

He was referring to the number of presidential elections in Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Presidential hopefuls also need the approval of the Guardian Council, made up of six senior clerics and six Islamic jurists, which vets election candidates and laws to ensure they adhere to Islamic principles.


Reuters