News - Middle East: Iran opens a five-day registration process for hopefuls seeking to run in the 14th presidential election to replace Ebrahim Raeisi who lost his life in a helicopter crash earlier this month.

The former Iranian president, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others died on May 19, when their helicopter crashed in foggy weather in the mountains near the northwestern border with Azerbaijan. Their bodies were found the following day after a massive search operation.

The official registration process began upon an order by Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Thursday.

All candidates must be approved by the 12-member Guardian Council, a key constitutional and religious supervision body responsible for ensuring sound elections. The Interior Ministry will announce the names of the approved nominees on June 11.

Following the martyrdom of President Raeisi and his companions, heads of the three branches of the Iranian government agreed on Monday that the snap presidential election will be held on June 28.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Vahidi said the country is at a sensitive juncture after the tragic incident but no disruption occurred in managing internal affairs thanks to the wise guidelines of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the Constitution.

He expressed hope that the upcoming election will be held successfully with mass participation of the Iranian nation, influential parties and figures.

The minister called on all Iranians to take part in the polls.

Campaigning will begin on June 12 and will run until June 27, according to the timetable announced by the government.

Early presidential election is required under Articles 131 and 132 of Iran’s Constitution which stipulate that a new president should be elected by public votes within a maximum of 50 days from the day when a president dies or is incapacitated.

On May 20, Ayatollah Khamenei assigned Vice President Mohammad Mokhber to assume managing the executive branch as per Article 131 of the Constitution.

Source: Press TV