Women banned from Iranian election thanks to one word

Women seeking to run in the presidential election on 14 June have been told they are not allowed to take part.
Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, a clerical member of the Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog group, said the constitution ruled out the participation of women.

The semiofficial Mehr news agency quotes Yazdi as saying the "law does not approve" of a woman in the presidency and a woman on the ballot is "not allowed", reports BBC.

This remark terminated the largely symbolic bids by about 30 women seeking to run for office.
There is ambiguity in the constitution about the participation of women in presidential elections in Iran. It says the president must be elected from religious-political men, or "rijal," a plural for man in Arabic. The latest interpretation appears to put an end to the debate though.

Women, however, can participate in elections to the Iranian parliament and have served as lawmakers.

The Guardian Council vets election candidates for the presidency and parliament according to their Islamic credentials. A total of 686 people have registered to replace President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He cannot run for a third mandate because of term limits.