Iran limits candidate field in parliamentary elections

Iranian authorities have announced a series of limits on candidates and campaigning for next month's parliamentary poll. Deputy Interior Minister Mustafa Mir-Selim announced in a televised interview Monday night that all parliamentary candidates would have to submit a resume and a letter of recommendation from a religious leader in the area they sought to represent.

The move seems certain to eliminate fringe cnadidates of the sort who made up most of the 124 original hopefuls for last Friday's presidential election. The new restrictions seem aimed largely at the Iranian left, which might have difficulty getting religious backing.