Tehran: Iran’s presidential election received a surprise on Saturday when Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, 78, registered as a candidate. Â The Dispatch News Desk reports.
Rafsanjani, who served as president for eight years between 1989 and 1997, will join some 450 other potential candidates to replace incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been in power since 2005. All registered candidates must receive final approval by the Guardian Council, a body that wields considerable influence in the Islamic Republic
