AMN / WEB DESK
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.
A total of 61,172,298 individuals are eligible to vote in the elections, 30,945,133 of whom are men and the rest 30,227,165 are women, according to an announcement by the country’s election headquarters.
About 15,000 candidates will compete in the 12th parliamentary elections, 12% of whom are women and 88% are men. Additionally, 144 individuals have been qualified to compete in the elections of the Assembly of Experts.
Voters will elect 290 representatives for Majlis (the Iranian Parliament) and 88 representatives for the Assembly of Experts.