Iran’s Parliamentary Elections: Inside The Candidate Approval Process
Wednesday January 27, 2016
As in past elections, the Guardian Council seems poised to disqualify thousands of registered Majlis candidates, and its procedures for doing so are revealing.
On February 26, Iran will hold elections for parliament (also known as the Majlis or Islamic Consultative Assembly) and the Assembly of Experts. Initial reports indicate that thousands of candidates have been rejected by the Guardian Council, but no comprehensive list is available yet, and the manner in which candidates are apportioned to individual districts will likely prove more important than the overall vetting statistics. While Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei desires high voter turnout to prove the regime’s legitimacy, on January 20 he cautioned, “This does not mean that those who disapprove of the regime should be voted into the Majlis.” The following day, however, President Hassan Rouhani stated, “During these elections, impartiality, noninterference, the essence of constitution, complete security, and competition…need to be demonstrated,” adding that “the Majlis is a house for the people, not a certain faction.”
BACKGROUND
There are 290 seats in the Majlis, distributed between 207 electoral districts. With thirty seats, Tehran has the largest delegation of any district; the next largest has only six seats.
Members of parliament are elected to four-year terms. According to Article 28 of the Electoral Laws, Majlis candidates are required to meet the following conditions to run:
- Belief in and practical obligation to Islam and the holy system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Citizenship in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Loyalty to the constitution and the principle of “absolute guardianship of the jurisprudent” (velayat-e faqih).
- Possession of at least an associate’s degree or equivalent.
- An acceptable reputation in one’s electoral district.
- Acceptable physical health (at minimum the ability to see, hear, and speak).
- At least thirty years of age, and at most seventy-five.
According to Majlis Monitor, 165 members of the current parliament are in their first term, 103 in their second or third, and 22 in their fourth or more. The historical reelection rate to the Majlis is 29%. In addition, 33 current members are clerics, and 9 are women.
BECOMING A CANDIDATE
Accordin...