Candidate drops out of Iran presidential raceJune 10, 2013 - 15:53 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - One of the eight candidates in Iran's upcoming presidential election has dropped out of the race, according to CNN. Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, 68, is a conservative and former speaker of the parliament. His daughter is married to Ayatollah Khamenei's son. It was not immediately known why he made the move. The election is scheduled to take place Friday, June 14. Haddad-Adel completed a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Tehran in 1975 and holds a master's degree in physics from the same university. He has published many books on philosophy and religion, and is a member of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature and the High Council of Cultural Revolution. In the early 90s Haddad-Adel also served as the vice minister of education. Ghalibaf, Velayati and Haddad-Adel have formed a three-man pact they call the "2+1 coalition;" whereby two of them will eventually leave the race and join the other in support of his presidency. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |