14,000 Apply for Candidacy at Iran Parliamentary Elections

The process of registering candidates for running in Iran’s parliamentary elections, slated for February 2020, has come to an end with around 14,000 people applying for candidacy, according to Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.

In comments on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Iranian Election Headquarters said 13,896 people across Iran have applied to run for the Parliament, saying the number has grown by more than 15 percent compared to the previous round of polls.

The people who have applied to run for the Parliament include 1,605 women (12% of total) and 12,291 men (88% of total), the spokesman added, noting that 37 percent of the applicants are under the age of 40.

During the week-long process of registration, there was widespread speculation about the presence of renowned figures from the reformist and principlist parties in the polls.

The major figures who have dropped out from the race for the 11th parliamentary elections include the incumbent Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani, chairman of the Parliament’s reformists faction Mohammad Reza Aref, reformist lawmaker Parvaneh Salahshoori, former principlist speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, and former president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Meanwhile, a number of famous principlist politicians and activists have registered for candidacy, including former Ahmadinejad ministers Mohammad Hosseini and Ali Nikzad, former lawmakers Hamid-Reza Rasaee and Alireza Zakani, and Iranian state television host Vahid Yaminpoor.

Moreover, former mayor of Tehran and presidential candidate Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf applied for candidacy in the final minutes before conclusion of the registration period.

Among prominent reformist figures applying for candidacy for the Parliament seats are former Vice President for Legal Affairs Majid Ansari, former Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi, former mayor of Tehran Ali Afshani, as well as incumbent lawmakers Mahmoud Sadeqi, Ali Motahari, and Eliyas Hazrati.

The Iranian Election HQ also saw other renowned figures register on Saturday, including Chairman of the House of Parties of Iran Abdul-Hossein Ruholamini, University of Tehran’s philosophy professor Saeed Zibakalam, and Eliyas Naderan who had a seat in the Parliament for three terms.

The parliamentary elections and the mid-term election of the Assembly of Experts will be held on February 21, 2020.

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