How British media covered registration for 11th presidential election race in Iran <\/p>\n
Britain\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s online media outlets were unanimous on Saturday in covering the news surrounding the final day of the registration process for the 11th presidential election of Iran.\n<\/p>\n
The registration which started on Tuesday March 7 at Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s Interior Ministry ended on Saturday at 6 p.m. (1330 GMT), with 686 individuals having signed up for the race.\n<\/p>\n
The main focus of all British media outlets as well as other Western online media mouthpieces was to signify political differences between heavyweights who joined the race by registering their names at the final minutes of the registration process,\n<\/p>\n
A number of prominent Iranian officials who registered to participate in the election included: Chairman of Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Head of the Secretariat of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and a close aide to current president Esfandiyar Rahim-Mashaei, Secretary of Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei and former First Vice-President and Reformist candidate Mohammad-Reza Aref.\n<\/p>\n
Principlist lawmaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Principlist Alireza Zakani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili, former Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Vice-Speaker of Majlis Mohammad-Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard are among other hopefuls.\n<\/p>\n
The media outlets particularly referred to Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani who served as president for eight years between 1989 and 1997, and launched his bid for a political comeback at the age of 79.\n<\/p>\n
The Guardian<\/i> carried a report entitled \u00c5\u201cEx-president joins more than 680 candidates who include Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s close ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
It wrote: \u00c5\u201cLeading contenders in Iran\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s forthcoming presidential election emerged on Saturday after registration for potential candidates ended with top figures from major rival camps entering what is likely to become a highly contentious race.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cSince Tuesday when the official registration had began, there were anticipation on whether the two men, who are feared to issue challenges to the establishment by their candidacy, would eventually sign up\u201d the Guardian<\/i> report went on to add.\n<\/p>\n
The British media also sought to magnify the point that there is a big gap between Rafsanjani and Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cRafsanjani and Khamenei have been at odds since the former lost to [President] Ahmadinejad in 2005 presidential election. In 2009, [Ayatollah] Khamenei sided with Ahmadinejad who was alleged to have won in a rigged election while Rafsanjani showed moderate support for the opposition Green Movement and <\/p>\n