Iran’s President Rouhani urges greater ‘competition’ in June poll

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday he had asked the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to ensure greater “competition” in June elections after many prominent hopefuls were barred from running.

“The heart of elections is competition. If you take that away it becomes a corpse,” Rouhani said at a televised cabinet meeting, adding that “I sent a letter to the supreme leader yesterday on what I had in mind and on whether he can help with this”.