Iran’s Guardian Council has prepared a list of seven candidates eligible to run in the June 18 presidential election.
The official list was released on Tuesday, hours after a leaked copy was obtained by Fars news. The list released by the Council included mostly hardline and conservative candidates and was notably missing Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri.
Another notable absentee was former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, although he wasn't expected to have made the list. Mr Ahmadinejad was also rejected by the council in Iran's last presidential election.
The surprising exclusion of Mr Larijani and Mr Jahangiri is a blow to the centrists and reformists. Mr Larijani was expected to be hardline candidate Ebrahim Raisi’s main challenger.
Mr Larijani, billed as moderate, was appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a special envoy for China and had vowed to continue current President Rouhani's westward facing policies.
Diplomats in Vienna are have been trying to negotiate a return of both Iran and the US to the nuclear agreement since April, a move Mr Larijani is thought to support.
Mr Jahangiri, running as a centrist and a moderate, was also disqualified.
Adnan Tabatabai, an analyst and Co-Founder and CEO of Bonn-baased research group Carpo said it is important to look at why establishment candidates like Mr Larijani and Mr Jahangiri were disqualified.
"We will have to wait and see what comes of this because at this point there is really only speculation. I do think there is a desire to shift the country's executive branch to the right and this desire has been more or less visible in this list of candidates."
But the Guardian Council's list can still be amended.
Ayatollah Khamenei can intervene and approve candidates himself as well. In the past, both with former President Khatami and President Rouhani, the Supreme Leader had intervened, ordering the Guardian Council to let them run.
Mr Tabatabai said he does see a possible intervention by Mr Khamenei to widen the scope of the political field although he said it is too early to tell who he would intervene for.
A number of Iranian news outlets have also speculated that Mr Khamenei will likely step in and approve Mr Larijani’s candidacy.
The disqualification of the moderate candidates is likely to affect the voter turnout, which is expected to be an all-time low. Mr Tabatabai said participation this round could be below 50 per cent, a sign of apathy towards the political process.
Iran's electorate, aside from suffering general political apathy, have long been skeptical of the election process, an issue that came to a head in 2009 following allegations of electoral fraud.
This year, if the Guardian Council's list holds without substantial changes it would likely "further delegitimise the system for many Iranians," said Sina Toossi, a senior research analyst at NIAC, the National Iranian American Council.
Voters and politicians alike have criticised the Guardian Council's narrow list. Mr Raisi himself has reportedly called on the council to expand the list of candidates.
Mr Raisi's reported criticism of the list highlights one of the issues he is now facing ahead of the election.
"While the Guardian Council’s action gives Raisi a relatively far easier path to victory, it also fundamentally stains any legitimacy his election would have. The Guardian Council has transparently made this election largely ceremonial. Many Iranians will believe this race was decided before it even started," says Mr Toossi.
The editor-in-chief of Tasnim News, a news agency linked to the IRGC also took to Twitter to say that the list of candidates should reflect different perspectives.
But the most surprising criticism of the list came from a member of the Guardian Council, brother of disqualified candidate Ali Larijani, Amoli Larijani.
Mr Larijani took to twitter writing, "I have defended the Guardian Council, even during my years in the judiciary. But I have never found the decisions of the council so indefensible." He went on to say Iran's security arm had interferred in the decision making.
Iranian elections, Mr Tabatabai said, are always surprising so how the next three weeks will play out is still unclear and a lot could change.
"I have to say there are still many questions. Even when the campaign starts there can still be reshuffling, we may see people approved by the supreme leaders intervention. It is all very open."
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
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Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
Dhadak 2
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Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of RentSher
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if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
