TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday advised potential parliamentary candidates not to run for the elections “if you don’t have management capabilities.”

The Leader criticized the way many people register for the elections, saying now that potential candidates can register for the parliamentary elections, a lot of people go ahead and register without hesitation.

Every responsibility or position requires certain commitments, Ayatollah Khamenei said. 

“You have to see if you can make that commitment,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, according to Mehr.

On Sunday morning, Iran started registering candidates running for the upcoming parliamentary elections, set to be held on February 21, 2020.

Candidates have until December 7 to register, Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

The elections will be held in over 200 constituencies across the country’s 31 provinces.

The Guardian Council will vet parliamentary hopefuls for their qualifications and will release the names of candidates deemed eligible to run by December 18.

Disqualified candidates will have four days to object to the Guardian Council, after which the council will study complaints and announce the final list on February 11. 

The candidates will have 8 days to spend on the campaign trail, ending on February 19, and then the elections will be held on February 21, 2020.

MH/PA