Azerbaijan, Baku, May 13 /Trend D.Khatinoglu/
Iranian Vice-President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi has withdrawn his candidacy from upcoming presidential elections, just two days after registration, Fars News Agency reported.
Rahimi later explained the withdrawal reason, noting that he left the presidential race because spending time for elections may inferfere in his official duties as vice-president.
Rahimi is a close ally of the current Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is not eligible to participate at the elections because of the country's constitutional laws.
At the presidentia elections, Ahmadinejad supports the head of presidential office, Esfandiyar Mashaei.
Official registration of candidates for Iran's upcoming presidential elections started on May 7, and finished on May 11. Overall, close to 700 people submitted their registrations for the upcoming presidential elections.
From May 12-16, Iran's Guardian Council will look into the each candidate, and determine whether a candidate is eligible for participating.
Iran's Interior Ministry will unveil the names of the candidates which are competitive enough to participate in the elections on May 22-23. After the candidates have been determined, the pre-election campaigns would begin on May 24, and end on June 12.
Iran will hold the 11th presidential election on June 14, 2013.
The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election and the Guardian Council vets the candidates for qualifications.