TEHRAN – The final report of registration for Iran’s city and village councils shows that 17,885 women, equaling 6.3 percent of the total candidates, have put their names down for the polls, the Interior Ministry reported.

Totally, 287,425 people signed up for the upcoming elections at the end of the registration process, an increase of 14 percent compared with the figure four years ago, said Ali Asghar Ahmadi, the head of the Interior Ministry’s state elections committee.

A number of 54,888 people registered for the city council elections and 232,537 submitted their candidacies for the village polls, Ahmadi said.

Generally speaking, a total number of 17,885 women and 269,540 men put their name down for the polls, Press TV quoted Ahmadi as saying.

He went on to say that vetting committees would examine the qualification of the hopefuls on April 14-20 and announce the final results a day later.

He noted that the disqualified hopefuls would have four days to lodge a protest.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor of Tehran province for political and social affairs, Shahabeddin Chavoshi, told IRNA on Monday that 10,416 people, including 1,337 women and 9,079 men, had registered for city and village council elections in the province.

He added that 6,075 people had registered for the city council elections and 4,341 others had signed up for the village polls in Tehran province.

The registration process for the city and village council elections started on March 20 and ended on April 16.

The 12th presidential election and the 5th city and village council elections will be held simultaneously on May 19.

NM/MG