Age no bar for presidential polls in Iran; over 680 enroll

Tehran, May 12: A total of 686 hopefuls, including 30 women, have registered for

presidential

due June 14, the country's interior minister Mustafa Mohammad-Najjar has said.

The youngest candidate is 19 years old and the oldest one is 87 years old, the minister said Saturday.

The registration for candidates in the country's presidential race started for Guardian Council, the most influential body in Iran, May 7 and ended Saturday.

In 2009, 475 hopefuls registered as candidates for the presidential election. However, only four of them were approved by the Guardian Council, a body controlled by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Guardian Council has five days to decide on the eligibility of candidates. If necessary, the body could ask for another five days.

The Iranian president is elected for a four-year term in a national election.

IANS