Ahmadinejad: Iran Elections Have Int'l Effects

Tehran, May 13, IRNA -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Sunday ˈBy grace of God this June Iranian nation would create a political epicˈ, adding, ˈIranian elections, particularly in this term would have international effects far beyond geographical boundaries. Ahmadinejad who was speaking at a gathering of his cabinet ministers began his address with congratulations on the auspicious occasion of the glorious birth anniversary of the 5th Shiˈa Imam Muhammad Baqer (P), reiterating, ˈ…We must prove that an IRI government has worked to the last day of its tenure solidly and most resolutely, not permitting any section to lag behind, since this would be beneficial both for the system and for the country.ˈ The president, meanwhile, referred to the significance of the upcoming Iranian elections in the fate of Iran, adding, ˈToday new blocks have taken shape in the world and the nearly entire governments keep monitoring the news on the Presidential Elections of the Islamic Republic of Iran and they are all sensitive about it, each having their analyses about it, trying to find out what effects it would have on world management and the international relations.ˈ The head of the countryˈs executive force added, ˈThis shows that the status of the Iranian nation in the world has improved and the elected personalities of the Iranian nation are capable of conducting great tasks at the global level.ˈ He said that when the huge energy of the Iranian nationˈs collective work is released it is capable of achieving great objectives, expressing hope that in the course of the upcoming elections a great epic would take shape, thanks to which the global value of the Iranian nation would be improved more than ever before in the eyes of the world nations. The eleventh election of the President of Iran is scheduled to be held on June 14th, 2013. If no presidential candidate polls 50 percent of the vote on the first round, a runoff will be held on June 21st. It will elect the seventh President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The election will take place on the same day as local council elections. The President is the highest Iranian official to be elected by direct popular vote; he is the chief of the executive, after the ˈLeader of the Revolutionˈ the second most important person of Iran. His duties are much the same as all other heads of governments, but the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces is the Leader and it is also the leader who chooses the chief justice. All Iranians born in Iran, believe in God and the official religion of Iran (Shiˈa Islam), have always been loyal to the Constitution (meaning no criminal background), and above 21 years of age are allowed to sign up as candidates. An Institution called Election Monitoring Agency (EMA) which is managed by the Guardian Council controls the credentials of the registered candidates (in the last elections 36,000 people signed up as candidates) and vets them down to a handful candidates. The constitution demands that if there are more than 20 candidates the guardian councilˈs EMA is to evaluate these and select the most competent ones. There is a list of criteria (i.e. highest educated, public service record, active military service record, etc.) based on which the candidates are supposed to be vetted for the election./end