JNN 22 May 2013 Tehran : Iran’s Interior Ministry has published the list of the hopefuls approved to run as official candidates for president in the country’s eleventh presidential election slated for June 14, Press reports.

The Ministry on Wednesday released the names of the approved hopefuls. The candidates are Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili; former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi; President of the Center for Strategic Research of the Expediency Council Hassan Rohani; former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati; former First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref; Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei; Iranian lawmaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel; and Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf.

The eight individuals were approved by Iran’s top constitutional supervisory body, the Guardian Council, after a 10-day vetting process.

The Council has not approved, among others, two-term former President Ali Akbar Heshemi Rafsanjani, former Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The eight candidates approved Tuesday for Iran’s June 14 presidential election to replace Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who cannot run again because of term limits.

The approved candidates have now three weeks to run their electoral campaigns, according to Iran’s Interior Ministry.

Mohammed Baqr Qalibaf

Tehran mayor and former commander of the Revolutionary Guard during the Iran-Iraq war. Qalibaf, 51, is a pilot who enjoys good relations with Khamenei.

Principlist candidate Qalibaf, a former military and police commander, says “Better Economy and Life for People” is his battle cry.

Ali Akbar Velayati

Top adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on international affairs. Velayati, 67, served as foreign minister during the 1980-88 war with Iraq and into the 1990s. He is a physician and runs a hospital in north Tehran. He was among the suspects named by Argentina in a 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.

Principlist candidate Velayati says his election campaign centers on “Moralism and Management Stability.”

Hasan Rowhani

A former nuclear negotiator and Khamenei’s representative at the Supreme National Security Council, which also handles the nuclear dossier. Rowhani, 64, is a British-educated cleric.

“Moderation, Rationality and Acumen” is the slogan of reformist candidate Rohani, who is currently a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts.

Mohammad Reza Aref

Liberal-leaning former vice president under reformist President Mohammad Khatami. Aref, 61, a former Tehran University chancellor, vowed to drop out of race if Khatami decides to run.

Iranian reformist candidate Aref, who is also an academic, says “Livelihood, Dignity and Rationality” is his campaign’s slogan.

Mohsen Rezaei

Former chief commander of the Revolutionary Guard. Rezaei, 58, ran in 2009, but finished fourth. He currently is secretary of the Expediency Council, which mediates between the parliament and Guardian Council.

Rezaei, an independent candidate, says he is campaigning on a platform of “Political Ethics and Economic Efficiency.”

Saeed Jalili

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator since 2007. Jalili, 47, began his career as a diplomat in 1991. He has the support of ultraconservative cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi, who was previously seen as Ahmadinejad’s spiritual mentor.

Jalili, another Iranian principlist candidate, believes in the discourse of the Islamic Revolution as a means to promote national progress.

Gholam Ali Haddad Adel

A 68-year-old former parliament speaker, who is currently a member of the Expediency Council and considered a strong conservative voice. His daughter is married to Khamenei’s son.

Haddad-Adel, a principlist candidate, says he will form his cabinet based on “Piety and Good Judgment” if he is elected president.

Mohammad Gharazi

A former oil and telecommunications minister. Gharazi, 71, also served in parliament in the 1980s and `90s. He is considered conservative and portrays himself as a steady-handed technocrat.

Independent candidate Gharazi says he is running on a platform of “Administration against Inflation.”

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