Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani,opposition-backed candidate in Iran's presidential election disqualified - Tuesday May 21,2013

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the leading opposition-backed candidate in Iran's presidential election, was disqualified on Tuesday from contesting

Iranian state-run television broadcast a statement by the interior ministry on Tuesday night announcing the final list of candidates. It did not include Rafsanjani or President Ahmadinejad's close ally, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei

Eight men were allowed to enter the race for the election on June 14,2013 -

• Saeed Jalili,secretary of the supreme national security council and Iran's chief Nuclear Negotiator

• Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf,Mayor of Tehran

• Ali Akbar Velayati,Former foreign Minister

• Hassan Rouhani, a reformist

• Mohammad Reza Aref,former vice president under reformist President Mohammad Khatami

• Mohsen Rezaei,Former chief commander of the Revolutionary Guard & currently is secretary of the Expediency Council, which mediates between the parliament and Guardian Council

• Gholam Ali Haddad Adel,former parliament speaker

• Mohammad Gharazi,former oil and telecommunications minister