Promising start for upcoming vote
Over 48k register to run for Iran’s parliamentary elections
More than 48,000 people have registered to run for Iran’s parliamentary elections, a spokesman of the electoral headquarters said Sunday.
According to Mohsen Eslami, a total of 48,847 individuals, nearly 13% of whom women, entered their details into an online election registration system to officially register for the upcoming vote scheduled for March 1, 2024. Also among the hopefuls were around 230 current lawmakers.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has emphasized the significance of elections as a pivotal avenue to bolstering Iran’s power. He has outlined four specific strategic aspects – namely, “voter turnout, security, cleanness, and competition” – for the authorities responsible for overseeing the elections.
Mohammadreza Gholamreza, the political deputy minister of the interior, confirmed that these four strategic pillars have been communicated to the relevant bodies.
Under the provisions of a newly enacted law by the Iranian Parliament, the process of candidates pre-registering their personal information commenced eight months ahead of the elections. The one-week window for pre-registration concluded Sunday. As per the law, candidates need to input their information into the designation system during this phase, failing which they would be ineligible to proceed with their candidacy.
The significant number of hopefuls, yet to be vetted by the Constitutional Council, vying for the 290 seats in Iran is being perceived by the organizers as a positive sign indicative of a captivating and highly competitive vote. I
“The remarkably enthusiastic participation of applicants signifies that we are poised for highly competitive election with huge turnout.” Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said.
Traditionally, elections in Iran are contested by two main factions – the conservative and reformist blocs – each with its own internal diversity. While the various factions within the conservative camp have already signaled their readiness to engage in the forthcoming race and have their candidates registered, the reformists have yet to take a clear stance. Although certain reformist figures and parties have extended their support to the registration of reformist and independent candidates, the question of whether the reformists will present a unified electoral list remains unresolved. The Reformist Front has yet to take a clear position.
Conversely, based on expert opinions and media analysis, it is evident that different segments within the conservative factions will lock horns to get the upper hand in the legislative body. Some experts suggest that lists could coalesce around prominent political figures.
Political analyst Nasser Imani, in an interview with Iran Daily, emphasizes the need for patience in determining the affiliations of registrants to particular parties or political heavyweights, as this insight would help assess the elections’ political composition.
According to Imani, reformist candidates will indeed show up, but the decision to either present a combined list or allow individual competition among their candidates remains uncertain.
Imani, however, contends that the nature of electoral competition is not exclusively contingent on the existence of a reformist electoral list. He suggests that, in the upcoming elections, the focal point of competition will likely be prominent political personalities rather than strictly adhering to factional lines.
In his view, lists revolving around figures like President Ebrahim Raeisi, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, conservative figure Saeed Jalili, or former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, a moderate heavyweight, might vie against one another for prominence.