Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said that he had sent a letter to Ayatollah Khamenei asking for him to reconsider the Guardian Council's approved list of presidential candidates.
“Elections are a symbol of freedom and a symbol of the awareness of the people. God forbid the day comes when the people feel we don't care about them,” Mr Rouhani said.
On Tuesday Iran's Guardian Council approved a list of seven candidates, nearly all hardliners, for the country's June 18 elections. The release of the list caused near immediate resistance from reformists and conservatives alike and led to calls on Mr Khamenei to intervene and broaden the political landscape.
Concerns over the presidential list are largely tied to fears of low voter turnout, which would affect the legitimacy of any incoming administration. Mr Rouhani went on to say on live television that the council had "forgotten that the Islamic republic's legitimacy is guaranteed by people's votes. Elections guarantee the continuation of the legitimacy of the system. The legitimacy of the system depends on the presence of the people at the ballot box in the elections".
Mr Khamenei has been known to use voter turnout as a way to strengthen the government's position with the people and low voter turnout would be a blow. Historically, however, higher voter turnout has largely led to reformist executive branches rather than hardline ones.
Despite the highly controlled elections and the preapproved list of candidates, Iran's elections work only under the pretence of being free and fair. If Mr Khamenei does not intervene, Reza Marashi, an Iran anaylst and former US state department employee, said it "will be a sign that they've abandoned the pretence altogether".
Only a week before the announcement 230 political activists and dissidents called for a boycott of the June elections calling them a formality.
The apathy and dissatisfaction is felt not only by activists but by the Iranian electorate as a whole. According to polling in Iran, less than 50 per cent of Iranians will be voting, giving credence to the warnings by those such as Mr Rouhani that a slate of only hardliners and conservatives could drive those numbers even lower. Iranians took to social media to express their frustrations. One user on Twitter asked why bother to even hold elections, suggesting it would be better to go straight to the inauguration.
Others began circulating memes joking that the election is already a done deal for front-runner and Iran’s chief justice, Ebrahim Raisi.
Mr Raisi, for his part, spoke out against the Guardian Council's list, joining other conservatives in calling for a broader range of political views to be included in the elections. In another surprising turn of events a member of the Guardian Council spoke out, calling the list indefensible.
It is not clear when or if Mr Khamenei will intervene but with reformist and hardline politicians speaking out against the council his decision could come sooner rather than later.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
New Zealand 15
Tries: Laumape, J Barrett
Conversions: B Barrett
Penalties: B Barrett
British & Irish Lions 15
Penalties: Farrell (4), Daly
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Racecard
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
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