Iran's electoral watchdog has barred moderate ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from standing in a June 14 presidential election, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. Eight candidates won approval to stand -- five conservatives close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as two moderate conservatives and a reformist, according to AFP. Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, a close but controversial aide to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was also omitted from the list, AFP reported.Hmm. I thought Persia was a one-man dictatorship, with "swivel-eyed loon" Ahmadinejad as the unquestioned Maximum Leader. Then how come his chosen successor was eliminated from running for office? How come he has to petition the election agency, with no real hope of winning?
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