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Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad disqualified from running for another term

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on April 15, 2017.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on April 15, 2017.
(Ebrahim Noroozi / Associated Press)
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Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who surprised many by filing papers last week to run for another term, was not on the slate of presidential candidates finalized by the council that oversees elections.

The Interior Ministry said Thursday that the Guardian Council approved President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate; hard-line former judge Ebrahim Raisi; and four other candidates.

Though the council does not give reasons for disqualifying candidates, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had advised Ahmadinejad not to run again. Ahmadinejad was president from 2005 to 2013.

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The election is scheduled for May 19.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

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