By Xinhua,
Tehran : Iran will hold the presidential election in June next year, official IRNA news agency reported Sunday quoting interior ministry sources.
“Based on a proposal of the interior ministry and the approval of the Guardian Council, the election for the 10th presidency will be held June 12, 2009,” deputy interior minister Ali-Reza Afshar told reporters Sunday.
Majlis or parliament by-election would also be held in tandem, Afshar said, adding that according to the country election laws, “all candidates should resign from their executive positions six months prior to the elections.”
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who took office in 2005 can run for a second term, according to Iran’s constitution.
The country’s spiritual leader and highest authority Ayatollah Ali Khamenei late last month had reportedly asked Ahmedinejad, to prepare for a second term in office.
The president has been facing criticism from pro-reform elements for his economic policies and inflation that touched 27 percent in recent months.