Current Events

AP — Iran on Saturday began registering potential candidates for March parliamentary elections, a vote that will be especially hard fought between supporters and opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad within the conservative camp. The country's major reformist groups are staying out of the race, claiming that basic requirements for free and fair elections have not been met. In their absence, the poll for the 290-seat assembly is likely to pit hard-line candidates who remain staunchly loyal to the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against conservatives who support Ahmadinejad >>>