Dozens of hopefuls, including four women, threw their hat into the ring on Tuesday on the first day of registration for June's presidential election, expected to be a test for Iran's dominant conservatives.

Fifty people have so far signed up to stand in the June 12 vote, including four women, after Iran opened up the five-day candidate registration period, Kamran Daneshjoo, the head of Iran's election committee, told reporters.

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.

Rezai, so far the only main conservative rival to Ahmadinejad, on Sunday launched a bitter tirade against the president, accusing him of pushing the Islamic republic to the edge of a "precipice."


According to Iranian law, candidates have to personally present themselves to the interior ministry to register or send their legally appointed representative to complete the official procedure.

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.

"I am sure of winning 100 percent of votes," Najafbadi told IRNA.

"The first thing I will do after my victory is to create an office that will spread justice as this big tree of the Islamic republic is rotten with corruption and injustice."

More than 46 million Iranians are eligible to take part in the election, with the voting age fixed at 18.

A mix of citizens with no political background registered on Tuesday, including a factory gate keeper and a few people using the opportunity to make a political statement.

The council has in the past disqualified all women who put their names down for candidacy but it said in April there was no restriction on women standing this year.

To describe candidates for the presidency, the Iranian constitution uses the word "rejal," which in Arabic implies a man but which in Farsi means a political figure.

Dressed in a tight velvet coat and bright headscarf, 37-year-old Halimeh Faghih was among the women who registered on Tuesday.

"I want to prove women can come forward and speak out on social issues," Faghih, 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 stand for the election.

The council comprises six clerics selected by the supreme leader and six jurists proposed by the head of the judiciary.

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.

-Agencies-

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