Iran preparing for legislative elections this year

Iran has been preparing to hold its elections and hoping to continue in 2024 its policy of improving relations with its neighbors and further strengthening its economic cooperation with the regional countries. The government of Iran since August 2023 had opened registration for candidacy in the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for March 1, 2024, but the war in Gaza continues to hold public attention.

It has been said that out of the 24,982 applicants, around 28 percent of them have been disqualified in an initial screening phase and the incumbent president has assigned a delegation to get all preparations done for having a fair and widespread elections.

The president said that first of all, the officials of the executive bodies should try to solve the problems in the society, create hope and improve their motivation for social participation, and secondly, they should plan for the implementation of the Supreme Leader’s guidelines in their area of ​​responsibility and the requirements of holding a magnificent election.

On Wednesday, President Ebrahim Raisi held a meeting with a government delegation and said that participation of the people in the elections is crucial, ordereding them to mobilize all the government’s facilities to provide the basis for people’s participation in these elections.

As the preparation is underway, many people in Iran are preoccupied with mounting economic difficulties and grappled with the ongoing war in Gaza.

Necessary measures have taken for a fair and free elections

Necessary measures have been taken to hold coherent and enthusiastic elections, spokesman for the Election Office said. Briefing a press conference in Tehran, Mohsen Islami said Iran is ready to hold vigorous and fair elections.

Pointing to the conditions of holding electronic elections in the provinces, he said that in the regions that have one-eighth of the parliamentary seats, preparations will be made to hold electronic elections with the approval of the Guardian Council.

He furthered that they are working to establish 65,000 polling stations for the upcoming elections, which so far, the place of 60,000 polling stations have been finalized.

Referring to measures to reduce candidates’ advertising costs, he said the facilities of the devices will be fairly provided to the candidates for advertising and introducing their programs.

The candidates will also be given 20 minutes to appear in national televisions and brief the nation of their programs.

Mounting economic challenges and Gaza war affect elections

Referring to the statistics of the party orientation of the election candidates, he added based on statistics, 4,703 independents, 2,725 fundamentalists and 1,560 reformists became candidates for the parliamentary elections, which shows the enthusiastic presence of different political spectrums in this year’s elections.

As the preparation is underway, many people in Iran are preoccupied with mounting economic difficulties and gripped with the ongoing war in Gaza. The Iranian people also can’t forget last year’s deadly protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a female lady who died in police custody over Hijab controversy.

Another growing concern among the people of Iran is the potential impact of the war in the Gaza Strip which broke out on October 7 between Hamas and Israel with no end in sight.

Meanwhile, Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for fervent elections, and the incumbent president Raisis said his government has no candidate in the upcoming legislative elections.

Raisi, who took office in August 2021, said that his goal is to create a peaceful environment for the wider participation of all people and political parties in the elections.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meets with members of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership in 2023.

Iranian people will elect 289 lawmakers for four years term  

People will elect 289 lawmakers for a four-year term, and Iran will also hold elections for the Assembly of Experts for Leadership. Indeed, the role of the Khamenei is essential to increase the voter turnout giving the lower number that showed up for the 2020 parliamentary and 2921 presidential elections. It was the lowest turnout in four decades in the history of elections in Iran.

The last parliamentary elections witnessed a turnout of 42.5 percent and the turnout in the presidential elections was 48.8 percent, which indicated that one in four eligible voters had casted their votes.

Ironically, after the death of Amini in police custody in September 2022, following Iranian police crackdowns on protestors that left 500 dead, will test the legitimacy of the government and the willingness of the people to take part in this important political process.

Most importantly, it is also a test for Khamenei because attention will also be o focused on the elections of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership and their main duties will be a successor to the supreme leader if he is no longer capable of doing so. The assembly has already been under criticism for neglecting their duties to oversee the performance of the supreme leader. Since Khamenei will turn 85 in April, the assembly elections will be very significant.