TEHRAN— Speaking at a meeting on Tuesday to examine the presidential candidates’ competence, Ayatollah Ahman Jannati, head of the Guardian Council, spoke about the qualifications of the candidates, saying the Guardian Council has a heavy burden on its shoulders.

“We cannot say anything on our behalves except observing law, and law determines the conditions for presidential candidates, and the conditions are difficult,” he noted. 

He stated, “The candidate for the presidential election must be a manager, prudent and pious.”

Jannati went on to say that he doesn’t recall the existence of piety as a qualification in any other elections, such as the parliamentary elections.

“The people should know that we carry a heavy burn,” he said. 

The top cleric noted that examining a person whose credentials are approved means that that a person is “religious” and performs his religious duties and does not commit sins.

The Guardian Council, a body of clerics and jurists, started screening the qualifications of the presidential candidates from Sunday. 

The final names will be announced on May 27.

SA/PA