Ahmadinejad barred from Iran polls
Campaigning began yesterday for Iran's presidential election with incumbent Hassan Rouhani facing a tough battle against hardliners, though not from former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was barred from standing.
Ahmadinejad's disqualification by the conservative-run Guardian Council was no surprise -- he had been advised not to run by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who said it would "polarise" the nation.
Ahmadinejad's populist economics and defiant attitude to the establishment had alienated even his hardline backers during his tenure between 2005 and 2013.
The mood in Tehran has been subdued -- many are disillusioned with Rouhani's failure to kick-start the economy despite broad support for his efforts to rebuild ties with the West, notably through a nuclear deal with world powers that ended many sanctions.
The election commission ruled on Thursday that live TV debates would be banned, without giving a reason -- a decision criticised by Rouhani and other candidates.
Campaigning, which the Guardian Council announced could begin immediately, had not been supposed to start for another week.
Iran's elections are tightly controlled, with the Guardian Council allowing just six people -- and no women -- to stand for the May 19 vote out of 1,636 hopefuls that registered last week. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent, a run-off between the top two is held a week later.
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