AMN
Polling is underway in Iran to elect a new Parliament. The vote is also being cast to elect 88 members of a powerful clerical body known as the Assembly of Experts, which is tasked with appointing or dismissing the supreme leader. While 290 lawmakers will be elected for a four-year term, 88 clerics will be chosen for 8 years. More than 61.2 million people are eligible to vote in a country of roughly 85 million. The polling is seen as a litmus test of the clerical establishment’s popularity amid growing discontent over economic, political, and social strains. Iran’s rulers are seeking a big turnout to shore up their legitimacy, damaged following months of mass protests ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022.