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Gallery|Elections

Iran’s election campaigns

Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
There are 6,229 approved candidates running for the 290-seat parliament in Iran. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
By Mohammad Ali Najib
Published On 23 Feb 201623 Feb 2016
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Wednesday marks the last day of campaigning for Iran’s parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections, with candidates trying to reach as many supporters as possible, whether in person through posters or social media.

In the capital Tehran, candidates rallied supporters while trying appeal to undecided young voters who could sway the outcome of the polls. About 60 percent of the population in Iran are 30 or younger.

In universities across the city, parliament candidates such as Ali Motahari and Mohammad Reza Aref – who are known reformists – are attracting huge crowds.

As candidates were busy crisscrossing the city, campaign workers handed out leaflets outside subway stations or plastered posters bearing photos and party logos of different sizes and colours.

Some posters include links to their address on Telegram, a popular messaging app in the country. Other candidates for the Assembly of Experts hang oversized banners on lamp posts on Tehran’s busiest streets.

The parliament has 290 seats. Its role is to pass legislation, including approving the budget and international treaties. The Assembly of Experts is a body of 88 religion experts, tasked with picking the country’s Supreme Leader when a vacancy arises.

Official campaigning only started last Thursday. Candidates only have seven full days to make their case. That means those who have name recognition and big party backing have an advantage.

Across the country there are 6,229 candidates running for seats in parliament, while about 161, mostly elderly clerics, are vying for 88 Assembly of Experts seats nationwide.

Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
In the capital Tehran, an estimated 1,000 candidates are vying for 30 parliament seats assigned to the city. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
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Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
Members of the reformist candidates Ali Motahari and Mohammad Reza Aref gather at a campaign event in one of the universities in Tehran. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
Only 586 of the candidates are women or 9.4 percent of the entire number of candidates, but 49 percent of the entire population are women. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
The Assembly of Experts have a fixed term of eight years and they are responsible for picking the next Supreme Leader. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
Over 70 percent of the 81.8 million Iranians live in urban areas. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
In the 2013 presidential election, 72.77 percent of the voters cast their ballot. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
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Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
There are an estimated 50 million voters, and they have to be 18 or older to be able to cast their ballot. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
There are 250 registered political parties in the upcoming elections, but allegiances have been known to change once the parliament and Assembly of Experts members are seated. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]
Iran Elections/ Please Do Not Use
The economy is among the top issues in the campaign with a youth unemployment of 25 percent and inflation of 15.3 percent in 2015. [Mohammad ali Najib/Al Jazeera]


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