Elaheh Rastgou () is an Iranian

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

-minded

reformist Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who was formerly a member of

City Council of Tehran The Islamic City Council of Tehran () is the directly elected council that presides over the city of Tehran, elects the mayor of Tehran in a mayor–council government system, and budgets of the Municipality of Tehran. The council is composed ...

and a Member of Parliament.

Career

Rastgou entered

Islamic Consultative Assembly The Islamic Consultative Assembly (), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the unicameral national legislative body of Iran. The parliament currently consists of 290 representatives, an i ...

's 5th term in

Malayer Malayer () is a city in the Central District of Malayer County, Hamadan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Malayer is the second largest city in the province, and is famous for furniture. The city has m ...

's 1997

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

, defeating the incumbent Hassan Zamanifar. She was a sympathizer of Executives of Construction fraction at the time. In 2000 elections, she ran for a seat in

Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat, Eslamshahr and Pardis () is a constituency for the Parliament of Iran encompassing the metropolitan area of Tehran and some of its satellite cities. It has 30 seats, the most among all constituencies nationwide and plays ...

Freethinkers' Pinnacle Party Freethinkers' Pinnacle Party or Summit of Freethinkers or Freethinkers Front (, ''Chekad-e Azadandishan'') is an Iranian principalist political party founded in 2000, mostly by Islamic Azad University academics. They competed in the 2000 Iranian l ...

's candidate and was defeated. Backed by reformist ' Coalition For Iran', she was defeated in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

from the same district. In 2008 parliamentary elections, she lost again while listed in both

Islamic Iran Participation Front The Islamic Iran Participation Front (; ''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 Khordad Front. The party took 189 of the 290 seats ...

and National Trust Party endorsing lists. She lost 2003 and 2006 elections of

, but eventually won a seat in 2013 while being supported by reformists coalition.

2013 allegiance switch

A sudden switch of allegiance by Rastgou, reformist-backed member of the Tehran City Council, helped

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (, born 23 August 1961) is an Iranian Iranian Principlists, conservative politician, former military officer, and current List of Speakers of the Parliament of Iran, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Parli ...

to retain his seat by a vote margin of one. Following the vote, she was 'fired' from Islamic Labour Party because allegedly 'breaking her

oath Traditionally, an oath (from Old English, Anglo-Saxon ', also a plight) is a utterance, statement of fact or a promise taken by a Sacred, sacrality as a sign of Truth, verity. A common legal substitute for those who object to making sacred oaths ...

to vote for the reformist mayor'. In 2017, she officially joined the conservative alliance

Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces The Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces (PFIRF; ) is a political organization in Iran, founded in late 2016 by ten figures from different spectrum of Iranian Principlists, conservative factions. The group has pledged to become the main ri ...

Electoral history

References

Living people People from Malayer 1962 births Iranian reformists Members of the 5th Islamic Consultative Assembly Islamic Labour Party politicians Summit of Freethinkers Party politicians Members of the Women's fraction of Islamic Consultative Assembly Tehran Councillors 2013–2017 Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces politicians Iranian politicians who have crossed the floor Long stubs with short prose {{Iran-MP-stub