Iran hard-liners call for election ban on Rafsanjani, Mashaei

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (C) arrives with his daughter Fatemeh (C-R) to register his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election at the interior ministry in Tehran on May 11, 2013. (AFP)

Ultra-conservative Iranian lawmakers have called on the Guardian Council to prevent two contenders from running in the presedential elections, AP reported.

Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a moderate and preferred candidate of the incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been targeted by hardliners for his supposed un-Islamic attitudes.

Another high-profile moderate candidate, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, is facing criticism from the same group, who accuse him of supporting opposition groups in the disputed 2009 election.

A report by the Fars news agency on Wednesday stated that around 100 lawmakers called on the Guardian Council to bar the two contenders from the race.