News ID: 35

Date: 13 March 2021 - 15:48

Law does not ban military personnel from running in elections: Spokesman

The spokesman for Iran’s Constitutional Council said the law does not prohibit a military person from running in elections, adding that those serving in the armed forces are allowed to register as candidates in the country's upcoming presidential poll.

Those serving in the armed forces are not legally banned from running for president, Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei said on Saturday addressing a press briefing in Tehran.

“It happened before. Military personnel applied for candidacy in pervious terms and there is no legal ban. What the law does not allow them to do is interfering in the elections or expressing their support. Applying for candidacy per se is not banned,” he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kadkhodaei urged all presidential hopefuls to pay heed to the regulations governing election campaigning, warning against any “unauthorized” electioneering before its due time.

The spokesman also said that while the Council is tasked with observing the upcoming presidential election, it places paramount importance on the voters’ health during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Iran will hold the next year’s presidential election on June 18, 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The sixth local councils’ elections will be held on the same day.

Candidates hoping to run in the next elections are to apply in early April for approval. The final list is to be announced by the Constitutional Council in early June.

The Constitutional Council is a constitutionally mandated 12-member council in Iran that, among other things, is tasked with ensuring the compatibility of the legislation passed by the parliament with the criteria of Islam and the Constitution.