General Election Day
Scheduled, Presidential and Parliament voting days are staggered by one year
Voter Turnout
Presidential: ~72% (voter drop-off in 2021, was in 40%)
Parliament: ~40%
Presidential elections in Iran are under a _____________.
Presidential elections in Iran are under a (MAYBE - SUPPOSED TO BE) TWO ROUND SYSTEM. Also- Majoritarian!
2 Round Presidential Election System
Round 1: Presidential candidates in Iran (and Russia) must win an absolute majority of the popular vote in either the 1st or 2nd round of national voting
Round 2: if no one wins a majority in the 1st round, the 2nd round is conducted between the top two candidates
Iranian President
- Head of Government
- No PM since 1989 (has VP unlike Russia and Mexico)
- Elected by DIRECT vote in 2 round system (more like Russian system)
- 4 yr term (renewable but not consecutively); cannot run 3rd term or serve 8 yrs+ in office
Majlis SEATS
290 deputies total. All members are DIRECTLY ELECTED. However, 5/290 seats are reserved for religious minorities (Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians)
Majlis STATS
Districts: 208 constituencies across 31 provinces
SMD: 174
MMD: 34
Numbers: each electing ABOUT 2-6 MPs
!!!! CONSTITUENCY DATA: Tehran has the most MPs with 30, then the second highest is 6 MPs, then it quickly goes downhill…
Iran’s Electoral System
has a modified block voting system where multiple candidates are elected simultaneously (SM and MM Districts)
- voters cast the same # of votes as there are seats allocated to the electoral district
Iran’s Electoral System: RESTRICTION
Can only cast 1 ballot per candidate (you cannot vote for the same person multiple times with your multiple votes)
Sex and Demographics
8% of Majlis is female and there is no mandatory level
Voter DATA
52% Male, 48% Woman
Similar to the Russian President, Iranian President, and sorta not really the Nigerian President, Iran’s Majlis are under a ______________.
TWO ROUND SYSTEM
Majlis Two Round Voting System
- FPP Plurality threshold (25%)
- Done to fill all seats in a constituency IF enough candidates didn’t get required level of support during 1st Round
- Majlis have a TRUE! Two Round System, which is less likely to appear with the Iranian President.
Majlis Qualifications
- Age ceiling and floor (30-75)
- Muslim (except the minority 5 exception)
- One higher degree
- No “bad reputation”
- Physically healthy
Most importantly… APPROVED BY THE GUARDIAN COUNCIL
Role of the Guardian Council in Parliamentary Elections
Approve candidates running for election (and on top of that approve/veto legislature made by the elected officials!)
EX: In 2020 Majlis election, they disqualified 7,296/15,000 candidates
Who may be up for election during a non-Presidential year??
Majlis (4 yr term) and the Assembly of Religious Experts (8 yr term)
Is the Iranian political party system strong?
NO! Iran lacks formal political party structures. Party is not that important - there - but not that important.
Principlists
- HARD-RIGHT
- Islamic clerics and fundamentalists
- Dominant party
- Supreme Leader, Guardian Council, President, and most MPs are from this party
- Founded right after the 1979 Revolution
Reformists
- Left-wing
- Intellectuals
- Hold almost no power because of frequent disqualifications/limitations by the Supreme Leader and Guardian Council
