Boycott calls and conservative power struggle: elections in Iran Images show the wildfires in Texas – at least two dead

Amid calls for a boycott, elections for parliament and the Council of Experts have begun in Iran. Religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opened the elections on Friday by casting his vote in a heavily secured zone.

“The eyes of the people and politicians of the world are on Iran,” Khamenei told reporters. “Both friends and enemies,” he added. For weeks, the head of state had urged the nation to vote.

There has been little electoral mood in the capital Tehran in recent weeks. Many people are disillusioned after the failed reform attempts of recent decades and plan to stay away from the elections. The camp of reform politicians has been extremely weakened. As a result, conservative forces in particular are vying for power. These are the first elections after the women-led protests in the fall of 2022. High-profile activists, including jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, called for a boycott.

About 61 million voters in the Islamic Republic are called upon to elect not only the parliament (Majles) but also the so-called Council of Experts, an influential body of Islamic scholars. The first results are expected this weekend.

Political system between theocracy and republic

The Islamic Republic’s political system has combined theocratic and republican elements since the 1979 revolution. The 290 seats in parliament, five of which are reserved for religious minorities, are elected by the people every four years. The so-called Guardian Council, an ultra-conservative monitoring body, decides on the ideological suitability of politicians. This usually only allows citizens to choose from a group of candidates who are loyal to the system. For example, the Guardian Council has excluded 5,000 applicants. Nevertheless, a record number of 15,000 Iranians are on the run.

Candidates do not compete with parties, but organize themselves via lists. In Tehran, for example, thirty seats are elected for the National Assembly, and the alliances each nominate thirty candidates. Six conservative groups are fighting for power in the capital. A few days before the elections, there were signs of a bitter power struggle between incumbent parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf and ultraconservative camps. The current legislative period ends on May 26.

The head of state is unlikely to be indifferent to the elections, as evidenced by recent statements by top politicians and religious leader Khamenei. They urged the nation to take part in the vote. In the last parliamentary elections in 2020, voter turnout was officially just over 40 percent, the lowest in the history of the Islamic Republic. Many people in Iran are therefore interested in how low the turnout will be this time.

The election of the expert council becomes the center of attention

In addition to parliament, the Council of Experts is also directly elected by the people. The body, which is elected for eight years, consists of 88 Shiite clerics who determine the religious leader’s successor in the event of his death. Khamenei is considered Iran’s most powerful man; the head of state turns 85 years old in April. Only 144 candidates are eligible for the council. The low number was justified by strict theological requirements. Before the elections, the disqualification of moderate former President Hassan Ruhani, who has been a member of the Council of Experts for more than twenty years, caused criticism.

Parliament is the legislative institution of Iran. However, real power is concentrated in the state leadership, with Khamenei at the top. The president is also elected by the people every four years as head of government and appoints the ministers. The Security Council also has extensive powers. Iran’s elite force, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), has expanded its influence at all levels in recent decades and has become an economic empire. (sda/dpa)