News   /   Reports

Iran's Guardian Council spokesman holds presser on election

Yusef Jalali
Press TV, Tehran

As Iran’s parliamentary elections draw closer, Iranian authorities further call for high turnout. The Guardian Council, which vets the nominees, held a presser just two days ahead of the elections.

Just like other sectors of the Islamic Republic, the Guardian Council expects a lively election.

Over 15,000 people applied to run for the 290-seat parliament. Some 7,100 of them were approved as qualified by the Guardian Council.

Among the high-profile candidates are ex-Tehran Mayor Mohammd Baqer Qalibaf, a principalist, and incumbent deputy parliament speaker, Massoud Pezeshkian who is in the reformist camp.

The other deputy parliament speaker, Ali Motahari, who is an outspoken reformist, failed to win the approval of the Guardian Council to run for another term.

He and many other reformist nominees were disqualified by the Guardian Council. This has led many journalists to investigate the reason from the spokesman of the Guardian Council.

This is the eleventh parliamentary election since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

Based on the +18 years-old criteria, some 58 million people out of Iran’s 80 million population are eligible to vote. Around three million of them are first-time voters.

Campaigning began on February 15th and will continue until the end of Wednesday.

According to the elections law, campaigning ends 24 hours before to the election day. Competition is now heated up as candidates have until the end of Wednesday to try to win as many votes as they can to get the people's green light to enter the parliament.


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku