Republicans are still searching for a prominent candidate.
''We act within the system,'' Mohammad Reza Aref, former vice-president and prominent candidate in Tehran, told a campaign rally.
"Our analysis highlights areas associated with one prominent candidate (eg his home), supporting his identification as Banksy," the paper said.
He is the most prominent candidate to formally enter the race so far, and the leading opposition contender.
Top city Republicans, who still lack a prominent candidate for City Hall, are salivating over the prospect.
One prominent candidate, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, is credited with having invited al-Qaeda's leadership to set up shop in Afghanistan.
John Hostettler, a former representative in southern Indiana, also is a prominent candidate in a five-way field.
However Messrs Bhattarai and Dahal are strong rivals, which might make a less prominent candidate preferable to either.
Opposition Leader in Egypt Denounces Trial Ayman Nour, a prominent candidate in the presidential election this fall, with co-defendants at court in Cairo yesterday.
"I don't think it will affect the race," said Bill McBride, one prominent candidate in a crowded field for the primary, on Sept. 10.
Only one prominent candidate, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, tried to make policy vis-à-vis the Palestinians a campaign issue, and she got very little traction.
