Iran has excluded Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic republic and a cleric with ties to reformist politicians, from contesting elections to the country’s powerful Assembly of Experts.
The decision, revealed by Khomeini’s son on Tuesday, was taken by the Guardian Council, a conservative-dominated committee that decides who can run for public office.
Khomeini was among hundreds of candidates ruled out of standing for the assembly, which monitors the work of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
With an eight-year term of office, its 88 members may also be responsible for picking the 76-year-old’s eventual successor.
The rejected candidates have until Saturday to appeal. Voting for the assembly will take place on February 26, the same day as parliamentary polls.