TEHRAN, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Most of the Reformist Party candidates in Iran have been disqualified from upcoming parliamentary elections, it was reported Wednesday.
The Financial Times reported that reformists say they may be only able to compete for 10 percent of seats in the March 14 elections.
Reformists are generally critical of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his hard-line government.
In all, 2,400 nominees, most of them reformists, have been barred from running in the election, the newspaper reported.
Among those disqualified from running are three government ministers, a dozen provincial governors, and many former parliamentarians and ministry officials who worked under the reformist government of Mohammad Khatami, who left office in 2005.
A grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the 1979 Iranian revolution, was also among those barred from running for parliament because of suspicions over his loyalties to Islam and the national constitution, the newspaper reported.
The Guardian Council this week upheld the government decisions and barred even more nominees. Disqualified candidates can appeal, but their reinstatement is unlikely, the Times said.
