TEHRAN – On Wednesday, the spokesperson for Iran’s Guardian Council informed journalists that the candidates running for seats in Iran’s Parliament on Friday hail from diverse professional and religious backgrounds.

The Guardian Council is the body responsible for vetting and approving candidates for Iran’s elections including legislative votes. 

“The approved candidates for the Islamic Consultative Assembly come from various backgrounds, including lawyers, judges, doctors, educators, and teachers, who are among the approved candidates. Additionally, women are participating as candidates for the elections at a rate six times that of parliamentary seats,” Hadi Tahan Nazif explained, adding that though the majority of Iranians are Muslims, minorities hold fixed seats in parliament. 

“This year's election will be held in approximately 60,000 polling stations. In the process of reviewing the qualifications of the candidates for parliament, about 75% of the eligible candidates have been approved, which is almost all of the registrants from the previous term, with 52 candidates competing for each parliamentary seat,” he said.

Iranians will decide on March 1 who they want to see occupy seats at Iran’s parliament for the next 4 years. 

A record-breaking 15,200 candidates have been greenlit by the selection committee to vie for the 290 seats in the Iranian parliament, marking a significant milestone post the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Of these candidates, 1,713 are women—a substantial increase from the 2020 election's 819 female entrants. Notably, the Tehran constituency is witness to a staggering 3,545 candidates competing in the upcoming elections.

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi has emphasized the conducive atmosphere for a spirited competition among a variety of political outlooks. He has stressed the importance of candidates and their supporters adhering strictly to election rules, advocating for a disciplined campaign without resorting to mudslinging.

Incumbent parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf is gearing up to run from his native northeast, having secured a seat in Tehran four years ago. Concurrently, 144 clerics are gearing up for the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, an advisory body to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, serving eight-year terms.,

Within Iran's constitutional framework, this assembly oversees the country's leader and determines a successor. President Ebrahim Raisi, eyeing re-election to the assembly from South Khorasan province, is among the contenders.

While some Western media outlets discourage Iranian voter participation this Friday, urging them to abstain from voting, it is anticipated that a significant portion of eligible Iranian voters will engage in the electoral process, mirroring past turnout levels. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has advised Iranians to disregard these calls and actively shape their country's future.