TEHRAN - The Spokesman for Iran’s Election Headquarters Mohsen Eslami announced on Wednesday that so far, a record number of 20,248 candidates have registered for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iran. 

"Until now, on the seventh and last day of the one-week opportunity, 20,248 candidates have finalized their registration by entering the keshvar.moi.ir system,” he said.

Eslami also mentioned the gender composition of the candidates: "11% of the candidates are women and 89% are men."

"Karaj is in the first place in the number of registered candidates, and Shahriar, Tehran, Yazd, Mashhad, Robat Karim, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Savojbolagh, and Kashan are in the following ranks". 

The parliamentary election in Iran is scheduled to take place on Friday, March 1, 2024. Candidates must receive approval from the Guardian Council in order to compete for the 290 available seats. Five of these seats are reserved for religious minorities.

The elected candidates will serve a four-year term. The previous legislative elections in 2020 resulted in a significant majority for conservatives, with reformists only gaining 20 seats in parliament. The official turnout for the election was recorded at 42.57%.

The current parliament has been commended for its resilience against Western pressure and refusal to comply with demands from Washington. Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has praised the legislative body for its swift action in creating nuclear policies. The adoption of the "strategic action plan to counter sanctions" in December 2020 has been credited with saving the country from confusion regarding the nuclear issue.

In early June, the Leader warned that foreign entities are attempting to spread hopelessness among the Iranian people to discourage participation in the 2024 elections. He emphasized the importance of this year's vote as a significant moment in shaping the country's future.
MHA