Campaigning begins in Iran for Assembly of Experts elections
Candidates running for seats in Iran’s Assembly of Experts began election campaigns on Wednesday.
Members of the assembly are directly elected to office by the people for an eight-year term. The body holds biannual meetings to review major national issues and every other year to appoint a new chairman.
The Assembly of Experts is tasked with electing, supervising and, if necessary, dismissing the leader of the Islamic Revolution.
IRNA reported on Wednesday that the “elections campaign for the Assembly of Experts began today and will last for 15 days”.
A total of 500 hopefuls submitted applications for membership in the 88-member assembly, although jurists in charge of vetting the candidates only approved 144.
The elections for the assembly, which are held every eight years, will take place on March 1 along with the parliamentary elections.
The assembly is currently headed by the 96-year-old Ahmad Jannati.
In January, Iran’s former president Hassan Rouhani said after 24 years of membership he had been barred from seeking re-election to the Assembly of Experts.