IFES Election Guide - Election Profile for Iran

Election Profile:

Overview

Results

Of Interest/Links

Sources

Country: Iran
Official Name: Islamic Republic of Iran
Election Type: Parliamentary
First Round: March 2, 2012
Second Round: May 4, 2012

Source for election date

At stake in this election:

290 seats in the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)

Description of government structure:

Chief of State: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini- KHAMENEI *
Head of Government: President Mahmoud AHMANDINEJAD
Assembly: Iran has a unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami) with 290 seats.

* The Leader of the Islamic Revolution is appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts.

Description of electoral system:

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution is appointed.
The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 4-year term.
In the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami) 290 members are elected by qualified plurality vote to serve 4-year terms.***

*** District magnitudes range from one to six. Five of 290 seats are reserved to recognized religious minorities. The electoral system is based on the multiple non-transferable vote (i.e. voters have as many votes to cast as there are seats to fill in the respective constituency). The victory threshold for a candidate is 25 percent, however. If no candidate exceeds 25 percent of votes in the first round, a second-round election is held. Two-way ties are broken by lot. There are no clear provisions for breaking ties among three or more candidates.

Main parties in the Second Round of the electoral race:

Alliance: Islamic Coalition Part / حزب مؤتلفه اسلامی‎, Jamiat’haye Motalefeh Islami
Leader: Habibollah ASGAROLADI
Party: United Front of Principlists
Leader: N/A
Party: Islamic Resistance Front
Leader: N/A

Main parties in the First Round of the electoral race:

Alliance: United Front of Conservatives / جبههٔ متحد اصولگرایان‎, Jabhah-e Muttahid-e Uṣūlgarāyān*
Leader: Ali LARIJANI
Alliance: Democratic Coaltion of Reformists / ائتلاف دموکراتیک اصلاح طلبان**
Leader: N/A
Independent(s): Religious Minorities
Leader: N/A

* Alliance including the United Front of Conservatives, Front of Islamic Revolution Stability, People's Voice, Monotheism and Justice Party, and the Insight and Islamic Awakening Front.
** Electoral alliance comprising the Democratic Coalition of Reformists, Labour Coalition, and Moderate Reformists/.