TEHRAN – By working hours on Tuesday, 2345 people registered to run in the upcoming parliamentary polls.

“So far, registration of 2345 people have been finalized and others are completing this process as well,” Interior Ministry director for election affairs Esmaeil Mousavi said, according to ISNA.

He said 470 parliamentary hopefuls registered on Tuesday across the country, 270 of whom were women and 200 were men.

Iran on Sunday began registering candidates running for the parliamentary elections, set to be held on February 21, 2020.

Candidates have until December 7 to register, Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

The elections will be held in over 200 constituencies across the country’s 31 provinces.

The Iranian parliament has 290 members who are elected by the people for four-year terms. 

The midterm elections of the Assembly of Experts will also be held on the same date in Tehran, Khorsan Razavi, North Khorasan, Fars and Qom provinces.

The Guardian Council will vet parliamentary hopefuls for their qualifications and will release the names of candidates deemed eligible to run by December 18.

Disqualified candidates will have four days to object to the Guardian Council, after which the council will study complaints and announce the final list on February 11.

The candidates will have 8 days to spend on the campaign trail, ending on February 19, and then the elections will be held on February 21, 2020.

 ‘Guardian Council is the only election supervisor’

Guardian Council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodaei said on Tuesday that the council is the only body responsible to supervise the elections.

“Sometimes questions arise over whether we are the only supervisor of the elections or not,” Kadkhodaei said, adding, “I emphasize that the Guardian Council is the only supervisor of the elections.”

He said the Judiciary is tasked with investigating offenses and the Interior Ministry has an executive responsibility.

“This separation of supervision and execution is very important,” the spokesman remarked. “We should be able to implement our legal responsibilities properly.”

Kadkhodaei also urged the authorities to avoid personal tastes and partisan goals and strive to uphold Iran’s national interests.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday advised potential candidates not to run for the elections “if you don’t have management capabilities.”

The Leader criticized the way many people register for the elections, saying now that potential candidates can register for the elections, a lot of people go ahead and register without hesitation.

Every responsibility or position requires certain commitments, Ayatollah Khamenei said. 

“You have to see if you can make that commitment,” he added.

MH/PA