Chamber:
	Majles Shoraye Eslami
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	10 April 1992 8 May 1992
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members’ term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	The 1992 general elections were the first since the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the country’s religious leader (Wali Faqih), in 1989, who was succeeded by Ayatollah Khamenei. As at previous polls, no formal political parties contested the 270 parliamentary seats. Nevertheless, two major rival factions could be identified: a “moderate” pragmatic one (Rouhanyat), closely associated with President of the Republic Hashemi Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, and a “radical” group (Rouhanyon) comprising many clerics and others remaining close to the post-1979 revolutionary ideals. The former group supported the President’s policies of economic liberalization and greater openness to the exterior, especially in order to enhance foreign trade and investment. The latter, on the other hand, opposed closer ties with the West and, in the economic field, supported price controls and consumer subsidies to help the poorer class. After screening of parliamentary candidates by local committees, more than 2000 were approved. The Rouhanyon faction protested that this process favoured the Government as more than 1000 of its own candidatures had been rejected. The election campaign officially lasted eight days. The first round of voting (10 April) produced a clear victory for the “moderates” and their allies, as a total of 134 seats were filled. This outcome was regarded as a personal triumph for President Rafsanjani and rejection of Islamic militants who had (together with independents) been in the majority in the outgoing Assembly and were blamed by many for the country’s economic stagnation. Voter turnout was reportedly 65% of those eligible. The run-off elections on 8 May confirmed the earlier pattern, final results giving the Rouhanyat and its independent backers some three-fourths of the seats. The electorate generally turned away from career politicians in favour of new faces, 162 Deputies being newcomers to Parliament. Female candidates for their part fared well, increasing their numbers in the Assembly. Both the outgoing Speaker and the former Interior Minister lost their seats in the second round.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (10 April 1992): Elections results
Voters	18,803,158
Blank or invalid ballot papers	327,107
Valid votes	18,476,051
Round no 2 (8 May 1992): Elections results
Voters	7,485,097
Blank or invalid ballot papers	109,767
Valid votes	7,375,330

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	252
Women:	9

Distribution of seats according to age:
26-30 years	10
31-40 years	126
41-50 years	78
51-60 years	41
61 and over	6

Comments:
	Pending by-elections for nine seats.