FACTBOX: Khomeini's grandson banned from Iran's election

(Reuters) - Ali Eshraghi, a 39-year-old civil engineer who is a grandson of late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, has been banned from running for parliament next month by an Iranian hardline watchdog body, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Hopefuls have to go through a vetting process by government committees and the conservative-controlled Guardian Council, which has stopped hundreds of reformist candidates in the past.

Following are some facts about the vetting process ahead of Iran's eighth parliamentary election since the 1979 Islamic revolution, seen as a referendum on the hardline policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

* CANDIDATES REJECTED:

-- To qualify, a candidate must have an unblemished track record of piety and faithfulness to the Islamic Republic.

-- Government executive bodies like the intelligence and justice ministries have already rejected some 3,000 people out of 7,200 who registered to run for the 290-seat parliament. An election official said they had "records" with the authorities.

-- The conservative Guardian Council watchdog, which reformers say barred 2,000 mainly moderate candidates in the 2004 poll that saw them lose their majority, is expected to rule by March 5 on the eligibility of the remaining candidates.

-- Reform-minded politicians see disqualifications as an attempt by hardliners to keep them out of power. Ahmadinejad's backers dismiss such complaints as political "propaganda".

* MODERATES EYE PRESIDENCY:

-- Moderates, eyeing a victory in the 2009 presidential poll, still hope a high turnout and growing disenchantment with Ahmadinejad will give them a bigger voice in parliament.

-- Iran's most powerful figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, intervened in 2004 to reverse some disqualifications. Analysts believe he would like to see all main political factions receive voter support without any dominating the scene.