Iranian senior principlist cleric Ebrahim Reisi (C) gestures as he arrives to register for the upcoming presidential race at the Interior Ministry in Tehran, capital of Iran, on April 14, 2017. Reisi, who is commonly believed to be the main conservative rival of the incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, called for "respect to the law" by both people and the officials. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
TEHRAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Iranian senior principlist cleric, Ebrahim Reisi, registered for the upcoming presidential race in Iran on Friday.
Reisi, who is commonly believed to be the main conservative rival of the incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, called for "respect to the law" by both people and the officials.
Democracy and democratic elections is attainable by reference to the people's vote and respect to the law, he told reporters after registration.
Reisi, appointed by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is currently the custodian and chairman of the Shrine of Shiite Imam Reza in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
He was previously served positions in Iran's Judiciary, as the Attorney General from 2014 to 2016, and Deputy Chief Justice from 2004 to 2014 for ten years.
He was also Prosecutor and Deputy Prosecutor of Tehran in 1980s and 1990s. Presently, he is a member of Assembly of Experts from South Khorasan Province, being elected for the first time in 2006 election.
On Tuesday, Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli announced registration of candidates for Iran's 12th presidential race slated for May 19.
