Parliamentary elections were held in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
on 18 February 2000, with a second round on 5 May.
The result was a solid victory for
2nd of Khordad Front and its allies, the reformist supporters of President
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 t ...
.
Campaign
A total of 6,083 candidates contested the elections.
[ 225 of the 290 seats were won in the first round of voting.]reformist
Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement.
Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can ...
coalition lists were "2nd of Khordad Press" and "Coalition of 15 Groups Supporting 2nd of Khordad" (including 11 out of 18 members in the 2nd of Khordad Front) and main principlist coalition was Coalition of Followers of the Line of Imam and Leader. Rest of lists were issued by solitary parties.
For the first time Council of Nationalist-Religious Activists of Iran issued an electoral list and was able to win two exclusive seats ( Alireza Rajaei in Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr
Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat, Eslamshahr and Pardis ( fa, تهران، ری، شمیرانات، اسلامشهر و پردیس) is a constituency for the Parliament of Iran encompassing the metropolitan area of Tehran and some of its satellite citi ...
and Rahman Kargosha in Arak, Komijan and Khondab) but the Guardian Council
The Guardian Council, (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, fa, شورای نگهبان, Shourā-ye Negahbān) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence i ...
declared their votes "voided".
Results
;Inter-Parliamentary Union
Inter-Parliamentary Union
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other ...
report cites the following results:
;Samii (2000)
:''The data includes first round only''.
;Bakhash (2001)
:''The data includes second round only''.
Shaul Bakhash
Shaul Bakhash (in fa, شائول بخاش), is an Iranian-American historian in Iranian studies at George Mason University where he is a "Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History."
Bakhash is Jewish and was born in Iran. He is a former Guggenh ...
states that reformers had a comfortable majority, however estimates differed as to the size of this majority. He cites Behzad Nabavi
Behzad Nabavi ( fa, بهزاد نبوی) (born 1941) is an Iranian reformist politician. He served as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Iran and was one of the founders of the reformist party Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization. P ...
's account (reformers 200 seats, the conservatives 58, and independents 18) as "inflated", but considers ''Payam-e Emruz'' report (which states that 150 MPs are committed to the " 2nd of Khordad agenda") reliable. Bakhash additionally suggests that votes cast for the Speakers provide a better gauge of the distribution of forces, concluding that 50 to 60 deputies were affiliated with the Combatant Clergy Association
The Combatant Clergy Association ( fa, جامعۀ روحانیت مبارز, jâmeʿe-ye rowhâniyat-e mobârez) is a politically active group in Iran, but not a political party in the traditional sense.
It has never been registered as a politica ...
, 150 with Islamic Iran Participation Front
The Islamic Iran Participation Front ( fa, جبهه مشارکت ایران اسلامی; ''Jebheye Mosharekate Iran-e Eslaami'') was a reformist political party in Iran. It was sometimes described as the most dominant member within the 2nd of Khor ...
and 15 to the Executives of Construction.Ervand Abrahamian
Ervand Abrahamian; hy, Երուանդ Աբրահամեան (born 1940) is an Iranian-American historian of the Middle East. He is Distinguished Professor of History at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York ...
cites that reformist enjoyed a majority (69.25%), or 26.8 million, of the 38.7 million voters who cast ballots in the February 18, 2000 first round. Ultimately reformists won 195 of the 290 Majlis seats in that election.
See also
* Iran After the Elections conference
References
External links
*
{{Iranian elections
2000 elections in Iran
February 2000 events in Asia
May 2000 events in Asia
Islamic Consultative Assembly elections
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...