Tehran - Iran opened on Tuesday the five-day period for presidential hopefuls to register as candidates for the June 12 election, the ISNA news agency reported.
The candidates can register their names between 8:00 am (0330 GMT) to 4:00 pm (1130 GMT) with the interior ministry during the five-day period which ends on May 9, the agency said.
Former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi and former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi have already announced plans to run for the presidency and are expected to officially register their names during this period.
Iran's incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has yet to declare his candidacy, but is expected to register his name before the deadline expires.
Mohsen Rezai, the former head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corp, is also running for the presidency and is expected to register his name over the next five days.
According to the Iranian constitution, candidates should have political and religious background, hold Iranian citizenship and believe in the principles of the Islamic republic and the official religion of the country.
The candidates have to be at least 18 years old but the upper age limit has not been specified in Iranian laws.
They have to personally present themselves to the interior ministry to register their names or send their legally appointed representative to complete the official procedure.
After the registration, Iran's powerful 12-member Guardians Council will screen the candidates and finalise those who can stand for the election.
The names of candidates who pass the screening will be announced on May 20 and 21.
The candidates will then be given a 20-day period up to June 10 for campaigning. Iranian interior ministry has said the election result will be declared a day after the voting. - AFP