Approving a variety of candidates for Iran's presidential election could help boost turnout for a vote that authorities already slotxo worry may see little enthusiasm, a spokesman for the panel that examines them said Tuesday.

Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei s comments came after more than 590 people registered to run during a five-day span last week - far less than the 1,630 people who registered in 2017.

Kadkhodaei, spokesman for the Guardian Council, talked to The Associated Press as the state-owned polling center ISPA has warned of the possibility of a turnout as low as 39% - the lowest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

As Iran's theocracy partially bases its legitimacy on turnout numbers, officials likely will try to pique the interest of a public worn down by the raging pandemic and an ailing economy ground down by American sanctions.

The “presence of candidates with diverse orientations can possibly add to the participation,” Kadkhodaei said.

The 12-member Guardian Council, a body of senior clerics and legal experts, vets candidates for office as well as legislation passed by the Iranian parliament. Though only half the members are appointed by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the panel approves candidates under the 82-year-old cleric's watch.

Within Iran, candidates exist on a political spectrum that broadly includes hard-liners who want to expand Iran's nuclear program, moderates who hold onto the status quo and reformists who want to change the theocracy from within.

Those calling for radical change find themselves blocked from even running for office by the Guardian Council. That's even though Kadkhodaei stressed the council's members wouldn't be swayed by fiery remarks of the candidates.