Iran Bars Rafsanjani From Presidential Field of Eight
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Iran’s election watchdog barred former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and a close aide to incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from next month’s presidential vote, limiting the field mostly to loyalist candidates.
The result is almost certain to be further consolidation of power around the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with the continuation of Iran’s domestic and foreign policies and its nuclear program, according to analysts who follow the country.