Rouhani to Seek Reelection

President Hassan Rouhani has decided to enter the presidential election race.

Hossein Ali Amiri made the statement in a Sunday press conference in Tehran, IRNA reported.

Iranian presidents are elected to a four-year term restricted to eight consecutive years.

The president has already secured the support of reformist camp whose candidate in the 2013 votes, Mohammad Reza Aref, played an effective role in Rouhani's victory by withdrawing in his favor on the eve of the elections.

Rouhani won the 2013 elections in the first round, but avoided a runoff by a slight margin.

The rival camp of principlists, which most likely will pose the most serious challenge to Rouhani's reelection bid, seems to have learned a lesson from the 2013 race, in which internal divisions prevented them from fielding only one candidate.

However, the bad news for them is that none of Rouhani's predecessors have failed in their reelection attempts.

A new principlist bloc, the Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces, which was founded in late December by 10 figures from across the principlist spectrum, held its first assembly last week and is currently making a shortlist of 10 options to choose one from.

The period for candidates registering in the mid-term parliamentary elections started on Sunday.

The polls will be held in four constituencies in the three provinces of West Azarbaijan, Isfahan and Hormozgan.

The registration will last one week until March 4 and would-be lawmakers will have May 11-17 to canvass for votes.

According to Iran's electoral laws, potential candidates must be Muslim, of Iranian nationality, of good mental and physical health, between 30 and 75 years, have no criminal record, uphold the values of Islamic Republic, abide by the Iranian Constitution and hold a master's degree.

The Guardians Council is in charge of vetting candidates and supervising all elections, except the city council votes, and the Interior Ministry is tasked with holding them. The city council elections will be held concurrent with presidential and midterm parliamentary polls on May 19.

Hopefuls for the presidential race should sign up from April 11 to 15 and those who successfully pass the vetting process will have 20 days to stage their electoral campaigns, from April 28 to May 17.