Former lawmaker Zohreh Elahian, who has been designated by the European Union for sanctions, on June 1 became the first woman to successfully apply to run. Four other women previously applied to register, but the head of the country's election headquarters said none of them met the necessary conditions. Fadahosein Maliki, a member of parliament and the head of the headquarters for combating goods and currency smuggling in the second government of Mahmud Ahmadinejad, also registered his candidacy on June 1. Former chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on May 30 became the first political heavyweight to register his candidacy. The hard-liner is close to Khamenei and was his chief of staff in the early 2000s.
