presstv.ir
More than 40 women have registered as prospective candidates for Iran's tenth Presidential elections, a top election official says.
"Of the 475 who signed up as candidates, 433 are men and 42 are women," Kamran Daneshjoo, the head of Iran's election committee told reporters on Sunday.
That means the Islamic Republic could see a woman as its head of state, becoming the first Muslim country to have a female president.
However, the four candidates with the highest chance to win the race to the Presidential palace are incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's last prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, two times parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and the Secretary of Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei.
Hours after registration closed in the country's capital of Tehran, Daneshjoo said the oldest Iranian to seek the presidency was an 86 year-old, while the youngest was a 19-year-old teenager.
"From among the candidates one had obtained a high ranking clerical degree, one was a professor, 35 people had a PhD. and 216 were post graduates," he added.
A former member of Iran's 290-seat parliament, Rafat Bayat is considered the most prominent female figure to register for the elections, scheduled for June 12.
The Sociologist, whose last bid for presidency was rejected four years ago, has announced that if elected, her first deputy will be a woman.
After registering at the Interior Ministry on Saturday, Bayat criticized the Ahmadinejad administration for missing so many 'golden opportunities', a reference to the government's failure to take advantage of skyrocketing oil prices last year.
Under the Islamic Republic constitution, candidates for the presidency be among "rejal", a word meaning 'men' in Arabic but translates into renowned political figures in Persian.
The word has caused controversy in the past, with some interpretations claiming that the constitution bars women from running for president.
However, Iran's constitutional watchdog, the Guardian Council, declared in April that there is no restriction on women standing in this year's presidential elections.
"The council has never put an interpretation on the word 'rejal'," Abbas-Ali Kadkodaye, a spokesman for the Guardians Council said.
MT/MMN
Showing posts with label president. Show all posts
Showing posts with label president. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2009
Iran: Many Try to Run for President in Iran, but Few Will Be Allowed
By NAZILA FATHI
Published: May 10, 2009
TEHRAN — With Iran’s presidential elections a month away, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that a total of 475 people had registered as candidates, including 40 women, and that the registrants ranged in age from 19 to 86. But an oversight panel of conservative mullahs and jurists is almost certain to disqualify most of them, leaving only a handful.
The total number of candidates, announced at the end of a five-day registration period, was less than half the 1,014 who had registered for the last presidential elections, in June 2005. Of that total, the oversight panel, known as the Guardian Council, disqualified all but six.
The Guardian Council, which screens all candidates for their religious and political qualifications and is known for its conservative Islamist views, is expected to announce the winnowed list of candidates for the June 12 elections on May 22.
There is a widespread expectation that the council will disqualify most or all challengers who favor more political and social openness. But the council’s choices will still be scrutinized because the incumbent candidate, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a religious conservative widely blamed for Iran’s increased economic isolation, has lost many influential allies.
The most likely challengers are the three who had already declared their intention to face Mr. Ahmadinejad before the registration period. They are Mir Hussein Moussavi, a moderate politician and former prime minister; Mehdi Karroubi, another moderate politician and former speaker of Parliament; and Mohsen Rezai, a former head of the Revolutionary Guards.
The focus of the campaign so far has been Iran’s economy, but the target of the challengers is Mr. Ahmadinejad, whom they have sharply criticized.
The most unusual criticism came last week from Mr. Rezai, who, like Mr. Ahmadinejad, had opposed more political and social openness in the past. He said in a news conference that if Mr. Ahmadinejad was re-elected, “he would drag the country over a cliff.” He called the president’s foreign policy “provocative” and “adventurous” and blamed him later in the week for $1 billion in missing oil revenue.
Mr. Karroubi has criticized Mr. Ahmadinejad’s comments on the issue of the Holocaust. Mr. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, but because of the country’s animosity toward Israel, the subject was dealt with quietly until Mr. Karroubi brought it out in the open. He said that Mr. Ahmadinejad’s statements had harmed the country and undermined the country’s position on the global stage.
Mr. Moussavi, who could be Mr. Ahmadinejad’s most serious rival, has lashed out at the Guidance Patrol, the police force that was set up under Mr. Ahmadinejad, and was responsible for harassing women deemed to be violating Islamic dress codes.
Politicians and activists are also taking advantage of a more tolerant atmosphere before the elections. Women’s groups have formed a coalition and announced at a news conference last month that they wanted discriminatory laws against women to be amended — a demand that has been confronted harshly by the authorities. Many female activists have been jailed in the past year.
Mr. Ahmadinejad once had the backing of influential clerics, but they have refrained from supporting him publicly in his re-election campaign, casting some doubt on his prospects for a second term.
The supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once his most prominent supporter, scolded him in a public letter last week after Mr. Ahmadinejad announced he was making a close ally the head of the state bureau for pilgrimages to Mecca.
Mr. Ahmadinejad may still be re-elected. He has traveled everywhere around the country as president, giving money and promising to help. Many voters point to his generosity and willingness to ease government bureaucracy.
“I will vote for him because he wrote a letter and exempted us from paying a fine for illegal construction when he was mayor,” said Nader Abolqasemi, a 33-year old civil servant, referring to the time when Mr. Ahmadinejad was the mayor of Tehran before he was elected president.
His supporters portray him as a Spartan and pious man who wants to serve his country. In a book about his life titled “The Son of People,” he still cultivates the small garden at his home and his newly married daughter lives in a small rental apartment.
The candidate registration announcement coincided with news that an imprisoned Iranian-American journalist in Iran, Roxana Saberi, had appealed her conviction for espionage. News services reported that her lawyer was optimistic that the eight-year sentence would be reduced.
The lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, talked to reporters after his client’s five-hour, closed-door appeals hearing. He said that he had been allowed to defend Ms. Saberi and that he expected the court to rule in the coming days.
The case has caused tensions between the United States and Iran at a time when President Obama has said he wants to engage the Iranian government after a 30-year estrangement. Washington has called the spying conviction baseless.
Iran had promised a review of the case on appeal and insisted that Ms. Saberi would be allowed to provide a full defense. Officials have suggested that her prison term could be reduced or the conviction overturned. Ms. Saberi, who grew up in Fargo, N.D., was convicted last month after a closed-door hearing.
Published: May 10, 2009
TEHRAN — With Iran’s presidential elections a month away, the Interior Ministry said Sunday that a total of 475 people had registered as candidates, including 40 women, and that the registrants ranged in age from 19 to 86. But an oversight panel of conservative mullahs and jurists is almost certain to disqualify most of them, leaving only a handful.
The total number of candidates, announced at the end of a five-day registration period, was less than half the 1,014 who had registered for the last presidential elections, in June 2005. Of that total, the oversight panel, known as the Guardian Council, disqualified all but six.
The Guardian Council, which screens all candidates for their religious and political qualifications and is known for its conservative Islamist views, is expected to announce the winnowed list of candidates for the June 12 elections on May 22.
There is a widespread expectation that the council will disqualify most or all challengers who favor more political and social openness. But the council’s choices will still be scrutinized because the incumbent candidate, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a religious conservative widely blamed for Iran’s increased economic isolation, has lost many influential allies.
The most likely challengers are the three who had already declared their intention to face Mr. Ahmadinejad before the registration period. They are Mir Hussein Moussavi, a moderate politician and former prime minister; Mehdi Karroubi, another moderate politician and former speaker of Parliament; and Mohsen Rezai, a former head of the Revolutionary Guards.
The focus of the campaign so far has been Iran’s economy, but the target of the challengers is Mr. Ahmadinejad, whom they have sharply criticized.
The most unusual criticism came last week from Mr. Rezai, who, like Mr. Ahmadinejad, had opposed more political and social openness in the past. He said in a news conference that if Mr. Ahmadinejad was re-elected, “he would drag the country over a cliff.” He called the president’s foreign policy “provocative” and “adventurous” and blamed him later in the week for $1 billion in missing oil revenue.
Mr. Karroubi has criticized Mr. Ahmadinejad’s comments on the issue of the Holocaust. Mr. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, but because of the country’s animosity toward Israel, the subject was dealt with quietly until Mr. Karroubi brought it out in the open. He said that Mr. Ahmadinejad’s statements had harmed the country and undermined the country’s position on the global stage.
Mr. Moussavi, who could be Mr. Ahmadinejad’s most serious rival, has lashed out at the Guidance Patrol, the police force that was set up under Mr. Ahmadinejad, and was responsible for harassing women deemed to be violating Islamic dress codes.
Politicians and activists are also taking advantage of a more tolerant atmosphere before the elections. Women’s groups have formed a coalition and announced at a news conference last month that they wanted discriminatory laws against women to be amended — a demand that has been confronted harshly by the authorities. Many female activists have been jailed in the past year.
Mr. Ahmadinejad once had the backing of influential clerics, but they have refrained from supporting him publicly in his re-election campaign, casting some doubt on his prospects for a second term.
The supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, once his most prominent supporter, scolded him in a public letter last week after Mr. Ahmadinejad announced he was making a close ally the head of the state bureau for pilgrimages to Mecca.
Mr. Ahmadinejad may still be re-elected. He has traveled everywhere around the country as president, giving money and promising to help. Many voters point to his generosity and willingness to ease government bureaucracy.
“I will vote for him because he wrote a letter and exempted us from paying a fine for illegal construction when he was mayor,” said Nader Abolqasemi, a 33-year old civil servant, referring to the time when Mr. Ahmadinejad was the mayor of Tehran before he was elected president.
His supporters portray him as a Spartan and pious man who wants to serve his country. In a book about his life titled “The Son of People,” he still cultivates the small garden at his home and his newly married daughter lives in a small rental apartment.
The candidate registration announcement coincided with news that an imprisoned Iranian-American journalist in Iran, Roxana Saberi, had appealed her conviction for espionage. News services reported that her lawyer was optimistic that the eight-year sentence would be reduced.
The lawyer, Abdolsamad Khorramshahi, talked to reporters after his client’s five-hour, closed-door appeals hearing. He said that he had been allowed to defend Ms. Saberi and that he expected the court to rule in the coming days.
The case has caused tensions between the United States and Iran at a time when President Obama has said he wants to engage the Iranian government after a 30-year estrangement. Washington has called the spying conviction baseless.
Iran had promised a review of the case on appeal and insisted that Ms. Saberi would be allowed to provide a full defense. Officials have suggested that her prison term could be reduced or the conviction overturned. Ms. Saberi, who grew up in Fargo, N.D., was convicted last month after a closed-door hearing.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tunisia: Tunisian First Lady says presidency of regional Organization will promote status of Arab women
Tunisia Online News
Tunis, May 7, 2009- In an interview to the Tunisian monthly opinion magazine “Roua”, Tunisia’s First Lady, Mrs Leila Ben Ali said that Tunisia’s presidency of the Arab Women Organization (AWO) for the next two years “will follow up on the implementation of the Organization’s mechanisms and programs so as to give Arab women larger opportunities and wider prospects for participation.”
Mrs Ben Ali, who will act as the Chairperson of the Organization for the next two years, as part of the Organization’s rotational leadership, vowed to promote the status of Arab women while “enhancing their role in building advanced Arab societies.”
Asked about the privileged status Tunisian women enjoy, Mrs Ben Ali said that “the achievements and gains accomplished by Tunisian women are a source of pride for all Tunisians”.
In Tunisia she added, “we longer speak of women’s liberation but of fully fledged partnership.” Tunisian women represent 30% of the working population and can be found in all professions she said, stressing the fact that women represent 33% of judges, 31% of lawyers, one third of university teachers, a quarter of the country’s journalists, two thirds of pharmacists. Moreover 99% of six year old girls attend school and over 59% are university students.
She also highlighted the fact that Tunisian women are also active in political life as they represent 23% of the Chamber of deputies, 19% of the Chamber of Advisors, 27, 6% in municipal councils, including the presence of 5 women as mayors. 20% of diplomatic positions are also held by women added Mrs Ben Ali, who pointed out that more than 10,000 businesswomen are running their own projects.
Stressing the role of civil society in further empowering women Mrs Ben Ali said that nearly 30 associations concerned with women’s affairs are active in Tunisia.
“The New Era has offered women the conditions propitious for a larger participation in all fields of development. Having accomplished significant gains, unprecedented in our cultural and geographic environment, Tunisian women are now a fundamental element in the building and growth of society”, she said.
The interview also focused on Mrs Ben Ali’s responsibilities in the social and humanitarian sectors, especially in her capacity as the president of the BASMA association for the promotion of employment among disabled people.
The Tunisian First Lady also told “Roua” that the media are called upon to adopt amore constructive role in reflecting the genuine role of women in life. She slammed a certain Arab press and television for giving “stereotyped images of women” which discard women’s political, economic, cultural and scientific roles. She said she was fully convinced that “the most pressing task is to continue to change mentalities and mindsets, as a prelude to changing the image of women in society”, in addition to the “responsibility incumbent upon Arab women themselves to change their own image”, she added.
To a question on the scourge of violence against women that plagues many Arab societies, the Tunisian First Lady stressed the importance “to enact tough and binding laws” to discourage such practises. She also insisted on the importance of the role of educational institutions in setting up programs “free from any ideology that belittles women and their status.”
Mrs Ben Ali noted that the education of children is a noble mission which should be carried out to the best of ones’ abilities, given the fact that the future of children is the future of humanity as a whole. Pointing out to the plight of Palestinian children, Mrs Ben Ali said that as a Chairperson of the Arab Women Organisation, she will set up new approaches and programs to promote the rights of Palestinian children.
Tunis, May 7, 2009- In an interview to the Tunisian monthly opinion magazine “Roua”, Tunisia’s First Lady, Mrs Leila Ben Ali said that Tunisia’s presidency of the Arab Women Organization (AWO) for the next two years “will follow up on the implementation of the Organization’s mechanisms and programs so as to give Arab women larger opportunities and wider prospects for participation.”
Mrs Ben Ali, who will act as the Chairperson of the Organization for the next two years, as part of the Organization’s rotational leadership, vowed to promote the status of Arab women while “enhancing their role in building advanced Arab societies.”
Asked about the privileged status Tunisian women enjoy, Mrs Ben Ali said that “the achievements and gains accomplished by Tunisian women are a source of pride for all Tunisians”.
In Tunisia she added, “we longer speak of women’s liberation but of fully fledged partnership.” Tunisian women represent 30% of the working population and can be found in all professions she said, stressing the fact that women represent 33% of judges, 31% of lawyers, one third of university teachers, a quarter of the country’s journalists, two thirds of pharmacists. Moreover 99% of six year old girls attend school and over 59% are university students.
She also highlighted the fact that Tunisian women are also active in political life as they represent 23% of the Chamber of deputies, 19% of the Chamber of Advisors, 27, 6% in municipal councils, including the presence of 5 women as mayors. 20% of diplomatic positions are also held by women added Mrs Ben Ali, who pointed out that more than 10,000 businesswomen are running their own projects.
Stressing the role of civil society in further empowering women Mrs Ben Ali said that nearly 30 associations concerned with women’s affairs are active in Tunisia.
“The New Era has offered women the conditions propitious for a larger participation in all fields of development. Having accomplished significant gains, unprecedented in our cultural and geographic environment, Tunisian women are now a fundamental element in the building and growth of society”, she said.
The interview also focused on Mrs Ben Ali’s responsibilities in the social and humanitarian sectors, especially in her capacity as the president of the BASMA association for the promotion of employment among disabled people.
The Tunisian First Lady also told “Roua” that the media are called upon to adopt amore constructive role in reflecting the genuine role of women in life. She slammed a certain Arab press and television for giving “stereotyped images of women” which discard women’s political, economic, cultural and scientific roles. She said she was fully convinced that “the most pressing task is to continue to change mentalities and mindsets, as a prelude to changing the image of women in society”, in addition to the “responsibility incumbent upon Arab women themselves to change their own image”, she added.
To a question on the scourge of violence against women that plagues many Arab societies, the Tunisian First Lady stressed the importance “to enact tough and binding laws” to discourage such practises. She also insisted on the importance of the role of educational institutions in setting up programs “free from any ideology that belittles women and their status.”
Mrs Ben Ali noted that the education of children is a noble mission which should be carried out to the best of ones’ abilities, given the fact that the future of children is the future of humanity as a whole. Pointing out to the plight of Palestinian children, Mrs Ben Ali said that as a Chairperson of the Arab Women Organisation, she will set up new approaches and programs to promote the rights of Palestinian children.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Iran: Rezaei taps Imam's granddaughter as advisor
Presstv.ir
Iranian presidential hopeful Mohsen Rezaei has selected one of the granddaughters of the late Imam Khomeini as his campaign advisor on women's issues.
Leili Boroujerdi, a child of the Imam's eldest daughter Zahra Mostafavi, was appointed on Tuesday as Rezaei's advisor on women's issues, a statement issued by the hopeful's camp revealed Tuesday.
"With regards to your outstanding experience, I wish to use your guidance on issues pertinent to women," reads the statement.
Law graduate Leili Boroujerdi is currently the head of the Expediency Council's special committee on youth and women.
Rezaei, a Principlist critic of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies, has previously indicated that if elected, he would appoint a female to fill in the critical post of foreign minister.
“I will appoint a woman as my foreign minister to challenge [US Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton,” he told reporters on Monday.
After months of leaving his bid for presidency in a haze of ambiguity, Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaie on Wednesday announced his bid for the presidency.
Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also feeling the heat, as his main rival, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and the country's ex-parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi have declared they are willing to face Ahmadinejad head-on.
Iran's presidential elections are scheduled to take place on June 12. It will be the tenth presidential vote to take place since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979 ended the reign of the pro-US monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
MT/AA
Iranian presidential hopeful Mohsen Rezaei has selected one of the granddaughters of the late Imam Khomeini as his campaign advisor on women's issues.
Leili Boroujerdi, a child of the Imam's eldest daughter Zahra Mostafavi, was appointed on Tuesday as Rezaei's advisor on women's issues, a statement issued by the hopeful's camp revealed Tuesday.
"With regards to your outstanding experience, I wish to use your guidance on issues pertinent to women," reads the statement.
Law graduate Leili Boroujerdi is currently the head of the Expediency Council's special committee on youth and women.
Rezaei, a Principlist critic of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies, has previously indicated that if elected, he would appoint a female to fill in the critical post of foreign minister.
“I will appoint a woman as my foreign minister to challenge [US Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton,” he told reporters on Monday.
After months of leaving his bid for presidency in a haze of ambiguity, Secretary of Iran's Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaie on Wednesday announced his bid for the presidency.
Incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also feeling the heat, as his main rival, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and the country's ex-parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi have declared they are willing to face Ahmadinejad head-on.
Iran's presidential elections are scheduled to take place on June 12. It will be the tenth presidential vote to take place since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979 ended the reign of the pro-US monarch, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
MT/AA
Iran: Ebtekar withdraws candidacy in favor of Mousavi
Mehr News
TEHRAN, May. 6 (MNA) – Former Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar has released a statement announcing her withdrawal from the presidential candidacy in favor of Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Ebtekar said she was “qualified” for the presidential post and that she was sure that her qualification would have been “approved” by the Guardian Council. She added that she believed that the contest of the election by women was “another political and social achievement for the nation”.
However the former director of the Environment Department at the Khatami administration said she made such a decision because unanimity in the reformist camp is of utmost importance.
Ebtekar also praised Mahdi Karroubi’s “brave” stances in the election campaigns but insisted that Mousavi is the “most qualified” candidate.
HK/PA
END
MNA
TEHRAN, May. 6 (MNA) – Former Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar has released a statement announcing her withdrawal from the presidential candidacy in favor of Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Ebtekar said she was “qualified” for the presidential post and that she was sure that her qualification would have been “approved” by the Guardian Council. She added that she believed that the contest of the election by women was “another political and social achievement for the nation”.
However the former director of the Environment Department at the Khatami administration said she made such a decision because unanimity in the reformist camp is of utmost importance.
Ebtekar also praised Mahdi Karroubi’s “brave” stances in the election campaigns but insisted that Mousavi is the “most qualified” candidate.
HK/PA
END
MNA
Iran: Four women among dozens eye Iran presidency
Middle East Online
Fifty people sign up to stand in Iranian presidential election, awaiting final approval.
TEHRAN - Dozens of hopefuls, including four women and a truck driver, signed up on Tuesday to run in June 12 presidential election, seen as a test for Iran's dominant conservatives.
Fifty people signed up to stand in the election on the first day of a five-day candidate registration period, Kamran Daneshjoo, the election committee head, told reporters.
A mix of citizens with no political background registered on Tuesday, including the truck driver, while others used the opportunity to make a political statement.
"Those who registered were managing directors, experts, retired government employees, teachers, professionals such as from the field of dentistry, and a truck driver," Daneshjoo said.
Most of them were from the cities of Tehran, Mashhad and Tabriz.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took power in August 2005, has yet to declare his candidacy but is expected to register to seek another four-year term before the deadline expires on Saturday.
Former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, ex-parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Rezai, the former head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corp, have already announced they plan to stand.
Ahmadinejad has faced mounting criticism from reformists and fellow conservatives mainly over his handling of the economy, accused of stoking inflation and "wasting" Iran's windfall oil revenues over the past two years.
Since his 2005 election, the president has gone on a spending spree, pledging generous sums for local projects and small business loans.
The official IRNA news agency said the first candidate to register was 45-year-old Mohsen Hadi Najafbadi from the province of Sistan Baluchestan which borders Pakistan.
The candidates have to be at least 18 years old but the upper age limit has not been specified. More than 46 million Iranians are eligible to take part in the election, with the voting age also fixed at 18.
In 2005, over 1,000 people registered as candidates but the Guardians Council -- Iran's hardline electoral and constitutional watchdog -- only allowed eight to stand.
The council said that there was no restriction on women standing.
Dressed in a tight velvet coat and bright headscarf, 37-year-old Halina Saki was among the women who registered on Tuesday.
"I want to prove women can come forward and speak out on social issues," Saki, who holds a PhD in psychology, said. "I don't think I'll pass the screening but whoever is elected should appoint women to the cabinet."
After the registration, the powerful 12-member Guardians Council will screen the candidates and give a final ruling on those who can actually stand for the election.
The council comprises six clerics selected by the supreme leader and six jurists proposed by the judiciary chief.
The names of successful candidates will be announced on May 20 and 21, with the election campaign running to June 10. The interior ministry has said results will be declared a day after the election.
Fifty people sign up to stand in Iranian presidential election, awaiting final approval.
TEHRAN - Dozens of hopefuls, including four women and a truck driver, signed up on Tuesday to run in June 12 presidential election, seen as a test for Iran's dominant conservatives.
Fifty people signed up to stand in the election on the first day of a five-day candidate registration period, Kamran Daneshjoo, the election committee head, told reporters.
A mix of citizens with no political background registered on Tuesday, including the truck driver, while others used the opportunity to make a political statement.
"Those who registered were managing directors, experts, retired government employees, teachers, professionals such as from the field of dentistry, and a truck driver," Daneshjoo said.
Most of them were from the cities of Tehran, Mashhad and Tabriz.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took power in August 2005, has yet to declare his candidacy but is expected to register to seek another four-year term before the deadline expires on Saturday.
Former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, ex-parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Rezai, the former head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corp, have already announced they plan to stand.
Ahmadinejad has faced mounting criticism from reformists and fellow conservatives mainly over his handling of the economy, accused of stoking inflation and "wasting" Iran's windfall oil revenues over the past two years.
Since his 2005 election, the president has gone on a spending spree, pledging generous sums for local projects and small business loans.
The official IRNA news agency said the first candidate to register was 45-year-old Mohsen Hadi Najafbadi from the province of Sistan Baluchestan which borders Pakistan.
The candidates have to be at least 18 years old but the upper age limit has not been specified. More than 46 million Iranians are eligible to take part in the election, with the voting age also fixed at 18.
In 2005, over 1,000 people registered as candidates but the Guardians Council -- Iran's hardline electoral and constitutional watchdog -- only allowed eight to stand.
The council said that there was no restriction on women standing.
Dressed in a tight velvet coat and bright headscarf, 37-year-old Halina Saki was among the women who registered on Tuesday.
"I want to prove women can come forward and speak out on social issues," Saki, who holds a PhD in psychology, said. "I don't think I'll pass the screening but whoever is elected should appoint women to the cabinet."
After the registration, the powerful 12-member Guardians Council will screen the candidates and give a final ruling on those who can actually stand for the election.
The council comprises six clerics selected by the supreme leader and six jurists proposed by the judiciary chief.
The names of successful candidates will be announced on May 20 and 21, with the election campaign running to June 10. The interior ministry has said results will be declared a day after the election.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Iran: Women Call For Gender Equality Ahead Of Iran's Presidential Vote
Liberty Radio
May 03, 2009
By Golnaz Esfandiari
Former lawmaker and journalist Azam Taleghani is one of two women to have announced plans to run in Iran's presidential election in June.
In the unlikely event Taleghani were to become president, she would encounter obstacles not often associated with a head of state.
To attend state functions abroad, for example, she would need her husband's permission to leave the country.
If she were to testify before a court, her testimony would be worth half that of a man, and she would still not have equal divorce or inheritance rights.
is because, despite her status as the holder of the country's highest office, Taleghani would still be a woman, making her subject to the same forms of legal discrimination faced by all women in the Islamic republic.
The disparity between the sexes has led Taleghani and a number of other women's rights advocates and prominent figures such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi to call on presidential candidates to put equality for women on their agendas.
They have created a new coalition that includes secular members, national religious activists, former lawmakers, journalists, student activists, and others.
Joining the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and changing Iran's Constitution in order to include gender equality "without any conditions" are their main demands.
'Relatively Open Atmosphere'
Women's rights activists see the "relatively open atmosphere" in the run-up to the June 12 election as a good opportunity to renew their demands for equal rights.
Marzieh Mortazi Langarudi, one of the members of the new coalition, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that activists hope to increase awareness of the forms of discrimination women face in Iran.
They have learned that they should set their demands in a way that can be measured."It makes the candidates committed and brings their attention to women's demands," Langarudi says. "At the same time, it increases the demands in the society and in a way it helps the [democratization process]."
Activists fighting against legal discrimination in Iran have come under growing state pressure in the past four years and a number of them have been summoned to court, harassed, and detained. Several have even been jailed.
A leading women's magazine was closed down last year for "offering a dark picture of the Islamic republic" and for "compromising the psyche and the mental health" of its readers.
Activists says there have also been attempts by the government to keep women at home and limit their role in society, despite the fact that women account for more than 60 percent of students attending university.
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has said that women in Iran enjoy the highest level of freedom.
In a comment made in 2005 during his election campaign, Ahmadinejad said that women's adherence to strict rules on dress and appearance, including that their hair be hidden, should not be an issue. Yet following his election, the crackdown on dress intensified, resulting in many women being detained and harassed for not respecting the full Islamic hijab.
Ways That Can Be Measured
Bahareh Hedayat, a women's rights campaigner and member of Iran's largest pro-reform student group, tells RFE/RL that Ahmadinejad's presidency has demonstrated that women cannot rely on election promises alone.
"It actually served as a good experience among women's rights activists and also among others who are fighting for their rights," Hedayat says. "They have learned that they should set their demands in a way that can be measured."
Bahareh HedayatHedayat said women's rights activists are calling on presidential candidates to announce concrete plans for giving women equal rights. She said they have not endorsed any of the candidates.
Hedayat and other women's rights advocates want several articles of Iran's Constitution to be amended, with the principle of unconditional gender equality to be included in them. Among the changes sought is an addition to Article 21 stating that "the government must ensure the rights of women in all respects, in conformity with Islamic criteria."
Some critics believe that such changes under the current Islamic establishment are not realistic. The president has limited power and the real power is in the hands of bodies controlled by the conservatives.
But activists believe a serious commitment to women's rights by the country's future government could lead to positive changes.
Powerful Guardians Council
During a press conference last week in which the activists laid out their demands, presidential candidate Taleghani said that some officials see women as "slaves and second-class citizens."
Taleghani, the daughter of a prominent ayatollah, has previously attempted to run for president, but in the end was disqualified by the powerful Guardians Council that must approve each election candidate.
In 2005, all 89 women who registered to run for president were rejected, including a conservative member of parliament. The Guardians Councils effectively said that women cannot run for the presidency, citing a passage in Iran's Constitution that says the president should be elected from among "religious and political rejal."
Rejal is an Arabic word that means "personalities." While many say "rejal" includes women, the Guardians Council has said in the past that the word refers only to men.
However, this year a spokesman from that same oversight body said that there are no "legal restraints" preventing women from seeking presidential office.
Guardians Council spokesman Abbas Ali Khadkhodayi was quoted as saying on April 11 that the council "has never disqualified candidates only because they have been men or women," and that disqualifications resulted only from potential candidates failing to have the necessary qualifications.
Some welcomed the comment, while others remain skeptical.
"The question is, why in the past 30 years has no woman been deemed qualified by the Guardians Council to run as a candidate
in a presidential election?" asks women's rights advocate Nasrin Sotoudeh.
May 03, 2009
By Golnaz Esfandiari
Former lawmaker and journalist Azam Taleghani is one of two women to have announced plans to run in Iran's presidential election in June.
In the unlikely event Taleghani were to become president, she would encounter obstacles not often associated with a head of state.
To attend state functions abroad, for example, she would need her husband's permission to leave the country.
If she were to testify before a court, her testimony would be worth half that of a man, and she would still not have equal divorce or inheritance rights.
is because, despite her status as the holder of the country's highest office, Taleghani would still be a woman, making her subject to the same forms of legal discrimination faced by all women in the Islamic republic.
The disparity between the sexes has led Taleghani and a number of other women's rights advocates and prominent figures such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi to call on presidential candidates to put equality for women on their agendas.
They have created a new coalition that includes secular members, national religious activists, former lawmakers, journalists, student activists, and others.
Joining the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and changing Iran's Constitution in order to include gender equality "without any conditions" are their main demands.
'Relatively Open Atmosphere'
Women's rights activists see the "relatively open atmosphere" in the run-up to the June 12 election as a good opportunity to renew their demands for equal rights.
Marzieh Mortazi Langarudi, one of the members of the new coalition, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that activists hope to increase awareness of the forms of discrimination women face in Iran.
They have learned that they should set their demands in a way that can be measured."It makes the candidates committed and brings their attention to women's demands," Langarudi says. "At the same time, it increases the demands in the society and in a way it helps the [democratization process]."
Activists fighting against legal discrimination in Iran have come under growing state pressure in the past four years and a number of them have been summoned to court, harassed, and detained. Several have even been jailed.
A leading women's magazine was closed down last year for "offering a dark picture of the Islamic republic" and for "compromising the psyche and the mental health" of its readers.
Activists says there have also been attempts by the government to keep women at home and limit their role in society, despite the fact that women account for more than 60 percent of students attending university.
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has said that women in Iran enjoy the highest level of freedom.
In a comment made in 2005 during his election campaign, Ahmadinejad said that women's adherence to strict rules on dress and appearance, including that their hair be hidden, should not be an issue. Yet following his election, the crackdown on dress intensified, resulting in many women being detained and harassed for not respecting the full Islamic hijab.
Ways That Can Be Measured
Bahareh Hedayat, a women's rights campaigner and member of Iran's largest pro-reform student group, tells RFE/RL that Ahmadinejad's presidency has demonstrated that women cannot rely on election promises alone.
"It actually served as a good experience among women's rights activists and also among others who are fighting for their rights," Hedayat says. "They have learned that they should set their demands in a way that can be measured."
Bahareh HedayatHedayat said women's rights activists are calling on presidential candidates to announce concrete plans for giving women equal rights. She said they have not endorsed any of the candidates.
Hedayat and other women's rights advocates want several articles of Iran's Constitution to be amended, with the principle of unconditional gender equality to be included in them. Among the changes sought is an addition to Article 21 stating that "the government must ensure the rights of women in all respects, in conformity with Islamic criteria."
Some critics believe that such changes under the current Islamic establishment are not realistic. The president has limited power and the real power is in the hands of bodies controlled by the conservatives.
But activists believe a serious commitment to women's rights by the country's future government could lead to positive changes.
Powerful Guardians Council
During a press conference last week in which the activists laid out their demands, presidential candidate Taleghani said that some officials see women as "slaves and second-class citizens."
Taleghani, the daughter of a prominent ayatollah, has previously attempted to run for president, but in the end was disqualified by the powerful Guardians Council that must approve each election candidate.
In 2005, all 89 women who registered to run for president were rejected, including a conservative member of parliament. The Guardians Councils effectively said that women cannot run for the presidency, citing a passage in Iran's Constitution that says the president should be elected from among "religious and political rejal."
Rejal is an Arabic word that means "personalities." While many say "rejal" includes women, the Guardians Council has said in the past that the word refers only to men.
However, this year a spokesman from that same oversight body said that there are no "legal restraints" preventing women from seeking presidential office.
Guardians Council spokesman Abbas Ali Khadkhodayi was quoted as saying on April 11 that the council "has never disqualified candidates only because they have been men or women," and that disqualifications resulted only from potential candidates failing to have the necessary qualifications.
Some welcomed the comment, while others remain skeptical.
"The question is, why in the past 30 years has no woman been deemed qualified by the Guardians Council to run as a candidate
in a presidential election?" asks women's rights advocate Nasrin Sotoudeh.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Iran: Women Announce Election Demand
Rooz- 26 April 2009
The news committee of the Seminar on the Election Demands of the Women’s Movement held a meeting in Tehran on Friday. While not specifically naming any particular person for the upcoming presidential election in Iran, participating women listed their demands from the future president, specifically requesting that Iran join the international convention against discrimination of women, and an unconditional review of discriminatory laws in Iran, while calling for gender equality.
The news committee of the Seminar on the Election Demands of the Women’s Movement held a meeting in Tehran on Friday. While not specifically naming any particular person for the upcoming presidential election in Iran, participating women listed their demands from the future president, specifically requesting that Iran join the international convention against discrimination of women, and an unconditional review of discriminatory laws in Iran, while calling for gender equality.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Iran: Women can run for president with ‘no legal restraint’
Mehr News
TEHRAN, Apr. 11 (MNA) -- Guardian Council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei on Saturday stated that there is “no legal restraint” on the candidacy of women in the country’s presidential elections.
“The Guardian Council has never disqualified candidates only because they have been men or women,” he told reporters during his weekly press conference.
Government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham had earlier said that according to the Constitution only men can run for president.
Kadkhodaei noted that there were women who submitted their names to the Guardian council in the past elections and the council disqualified them only because they lacked the general qualifications.
The comments come shortly after former Majlis MP Rafat Bayat on Friday told the Mehr News Agency that she intends to run in the upcoming presidential election.
She urged politicians, including men and women, to make an effort to change the views of the Guardian Council about its interpretation of the constitution with regard to the candidacy of women.
On May 20 the Guardian Council will release a shortlist of presidential candidates who can run in the June 12 presidential election.
TEHRAN, Apr. 11 (MNA) -- Guardian Council spokesman Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei on Saturday stated that there is “no legal restraint” on the candidacy of women in the country’s presidential elections.
“The Guardian Council has never disqualified candidates only because they have been men or women,” he told reporters during his weekly press conference.
Government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham had earlier said that according to the Constitution only men can run for president.
Kadkhodaei noted that there were women who submitted their names to the Guardian council in the past elections and the council disqualified them only because they lacked the general qualifications.
The comments come shortly after former Majlis MP Rafat Bayat on Friday told the Mehr News Agency that she intends to run in the upcoming presidential election.
She urged politicians, including men and women, to make an effort to change the views of the Guardian Council about its interpretation of the constitution with regard to the candidacy of women.
On May 20 the Guardian Council will release a shortlist of presidential candidates who can run in the June 12 presidential election.
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