| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Majles Shoraye Eslami / Islamic Parliament of Iran |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) | 2 March 2012
4 May 2012 |
| Purpose of elections |
The coalition of conservatives (see note 1) close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei fared well, taking around 180 of the 290 seats (see note 2). They included the United Front of Conservatives (UFC) and the Stability of Islamic Revolution Front (SIRF), which took around 100 and 40 seats respectively. Speaker Ali Ardeshir Larijani (UFC) criticized the government for cutting subsidies on fuel and food, and pledged to maintain the remaining subsidies. The SIRF, which includes former Cabinet members, criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for having softened his policies towards the West.
A conservative group supporting the President, the Monotheism and Justice Party (MJP), took fewer than 20 seats. For the first time since the 1979 Revolution, major reformist forces boycotted the elections, including the Green Path of Hope, led by Mr. Ahmadinejad's rival in the 2009 presidential elections, Mr. Hossein Mousavi. Reformist leaders, including former Speaker Mehdi Karroubi and former President Mohammad Khatami, had called for the release of political prisoners and liberalization of the political climate.
Note 1:
There is no party system in Iran. The main political forces are generally considered to be 'conservatives' (often referred to as principle-ists or fundamentalists) and 'reformists'.
Note 2:
Article 64 of the Constitution stipulates that the statutory number of members of parliament may be increased by up to 20 every 10 years. In December 2011, parliament rejected a governmental proposal to increase the number of members to 310. |
Date of previous elections: 14 March & 25 April 2008
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: N/A
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections: March 2016
Number of seats at stake: 290 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 3,269
Percentage of women candidates: About 8 per cent
Number of parties contesting the election: N/A (There is no party system)
Number of parties winning seats: N/A
Alternation of power: N/A (presidential system)
Number of parties in government: N/A
Names of parties in government: N/A
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 27 May 2012
Name of the new Speaker: Mr. Ali Ardeshir Larijani
|
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 2 March 2012 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
48'288'799
31'001'408 (64.2%)
|
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Notes
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| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
281
9
3.10%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
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| Distribution of seats according to profession |
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| Comments |
Sources:
Islamic Parliament of Iran (24.05.2012)
http://www.idea.int/vt/countryview.cfm?id=108 |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
