Tehran - Renowned activist Jamileh Kadivar would become the first ever female minister in Islamic Iran if moderate candidate Mehdi Karroubi were elected president, Karroubi said Tuesday.

Karroubi and Mir-Hossein Moussavi are the two moderate candidates challenging incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Friday's election.

Kadiver, a university professor and former parliament deputy, "is one of the most qualified officials of the country and could take care of either the culture or higher education ministry," Karroubi told reporters in Tehran.

The only high-ranking female officials in Iran so far have been Massoumeh Ebtkear and Fatemeh Javadi. Both were vice presidents and in charge of environmental protection under presidents Mohammad Khatami (1997-2005) and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005 until now).

Kadivar would however be the first woman to be appointed as minister in the 30-year history of the Islamic republic.

"Mr. Karroubi plans to break a taboo and appoint a woman as minister," Kadivar said.

"This will be a symbolic message for all women in Iran and institutionalize their outstanding status in the society," she added.

Kadivar, 45, was an MP between 2000 and 2004 when reformists close to Khatami dominated the legislature.

In the last four years, she has been lecturing at the Al-Zahra university and has also been active as publisher, "although all my projects were blocked by the government" of Ahmadinejad.

Kadivar has battled for what she calls "gender equality" and has constantly called for improved rights for women and the removal of discrimination on issues such as divorce, child custody and heritage.

Although herself a devout Muslim respecting the Islamic dress code - long gown and scarf to hide hair and body contours - Kadivar is against imposing the code on Iranian women by the ruling clergy.

"The Islamic dress code should not be imposed on women but be chosen by them voluntarily. Imposing it would diminish the meaning behind it," she said.

The culture ministry in Iran is de facto an ideological watchdog for reporters, writers, musicians and filmmakers and notorious for strict regulations, limitations and frequent denials of artistic projects.

"I know the press, literature and artistic scene and their problems with the culture ministry; I myself have faced all the limitations and denials and therefore I would prepare new criteria and grounds in the cultural field," Kadivar said.

Kadivar is married to former culture minister Attaollah Mohajerani, a close aide to reformist ex-president Khatami, and has four children.

"According to our information, Mr. Karroubi could even win in the first round," Kadivar claimed of the presidential voting due to take place Friday.

In the opinion polls, sources of which are however regarded as ambiguous, Ahmadinejad and Moussavi seem to have better chances than Karroubi and the fourth candidate Mohsen Rezaei.

In the first round, the winner would need an absolute majority. If no majority gained, the top two go to a run-off scheduled for June 19.(dpa)