| "They wouldn't be allowed to win, of course, but they can run..." |
Iran's legislative watchdog said on Saturday women could run in June's presidential election, clearing up an ambiguous article of the constitution. Iran's constitution says that candidates should be political "rejal", an Arabic word for men. But Gholamhossein Elham, spokesman for the conservative Guardian Council, said the word could also refer to women. "Women who have the necessary qualifications have the right to run in the presidential elections," he told state television. June's poll is expected to end Iran's reform movement, with conservatives tipped to extend their grasp on power to the presidency after taking control of parliament in May. Iran's 2003 Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi has repeatedly said she has no intention of running for the presidency.