Legislative elections for

Majlis of Iran 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 ...

were held on 14 March 2008, with a second round held on 25 April 2008. Conservatives loyal to President

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (born Mahmoud Sabbaghian on 28 October 1956) is an Iranian Iranian principlists, principlist and Iranian nationalism, nationalist politician who served as the sixth president of Iran from 2005 to 2013. He is currently a mem ...

were considered the victors of the election, at least in part because "all the most prominent" reformist candidates were disqualified from running.

Qualification of candidates and campaign

A few months before the election on December 14, 2007, twenty-one moderate and reformist parties formed a coalition centered on

Mohammad Khatami Mohammad Khatami (born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician and Shia cleric 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 to 1992. Later, he was critic ...

to increase their chances in the election. However, around 1,700 candidates were barred from running by the

Guardian Council The Guardian Council (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, ) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution ...

vetting body, the Supervisory and Executive Election Boards, on the grounds that they were not sufficiently loyal to the Iranian revolution. These included 90% of "independent and reformist candidates," 19 sitting MPs, and

Ayatollah Khomeini Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (17 May 1900 or 24 September 19023 June 1989) was an Iranian revolutionary, politician, political theorist, and religious leader. He was the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the main leader of the Iranian ...

's grandson, Ali Eshraghi, who complained,

"What saddens me most is the method of discernment used y the Council of Guardians . . . They had asked my neighbors if I pray my daily prayers, or fast? Does my wife respect the
Hijab Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...
? Do I shave? Or smoke cigarettes? What kind of car do I drive, and do I dress in a suit!"

Another candidate, Ayatollah

Mousavi Tabrizi Sayyid Hossein Mousavi Tabrizi (, was born 1947 in Tabriz) is an Iranian Shiite mujtahid, writer, researcher, judge and politician. He is professor of the high-level of Qom Hawza. The most important political posts of Mousavi Tabrizi are secretary ...

, protested his disqualification on the grounds of "lack of belief in law and in Islam," noting that he was not only an ayatollah and a member of the scientific board of the theological seminaries of Qom, but he had earlier qualified to run for the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body whose functions include selection of the supreme leader. With the elimination of reformists, the election has been described as a "contest between conservatives who still support" president Ahmadinejad, and conservatives who don't, or "hard-liners generally in sync with Ahmadinejad and ... `pragmatic conservatives,` ... unsympathetic" to him. Reformist leaders pushed for Iranians to vote in parliamentary elections, hoping to prevent a sweep by hard-liners allied with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Allies of hard-line President

seized the largest share of parliament seats, vote counting nearly completed everywhere in the country except for the capital,

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, on March 16, 2008. Conservative critics of Ahmadinejad won a substantial bloc in the legislature, highlighting the growing discontent with the president's fiery style and failure to repair the ailing

economy of Iran Iran has a mixed economy, mixed, centrally planned economy with a large public sector."A survey of Iran: Stunted and distorted". ''The Economist'' (2003) It consists of hydrocarbon, agricultural and service sectors, in addition to manufacturing ...

. Reformists, who seek greater

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

in Iran and closer ties with the West, showed strength in some cities where the clerical leadership allowed them to compete. Reformist leaders said March 16, 2008 that at least 14 winning independents are pro-reform, bringing their bloc to 45 seats so far. If correct, that would be around the size of the reformist presence in the outgoing parliament. Iran's leaders on March 16, 2008 declared the country's parliament elections, which were carried by conservatives, a victory that showed Iranians' defiance of the West. The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

called the vote unfair after most reformists were barred from running. The National Front boycotted the elections.

Results

;Inter-Parliamentary Union , - ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;" , Orientiation of candidates ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Seats
(1st rd.) ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Seats
(2nd rd.) ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , Seats
(Total) ! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:right;" , % , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

Conservatives 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 civilizati ...

, style="text-align:right;" , 143 , style="text-align:right;" , 52 , style="text-align:right;" , 195 , style="text-align:right;" , 67.2% , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

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

, style="text-align:right;" , 31 , style="text-align:right;" , 20 , style="text-align:right;" , 51 , style="text-align:right;" , 17.9% , - , style="text-align:left;" , Independents , style="text-align:right;" , 29 , style="text-align:right;" , 10 , style="text-align:right;" , 39 , style="text-align:right;" , 13.4% , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

( reserved seat) , style="text-align:right;" , 2 , — , style="text-align:right;" , 2 , style="text-align:right;" , 0.6% , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...

( reserved seat) , style="text-align:right;" , 1 , — , style="text-align:right;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;" , 0.3% , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

( reserved seat) , style="text-align:right;" , 1 , — , style="text-align:right;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;" , 0.3% , - , style="text-align:left;" ,

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

( reserved seat) , style="text-align:right;" , 1 , — , style="text-align:right;" , 1 , style="text-align:right;" , 0.3% , - , style="text-align:left;background-color:#E9E9E9", Total (Turnout: 60%) , style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 208 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 82 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 290 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#E9E9E9", 100% , - , colspan=5, Source
IPU
;Cainer (2008) ;Zimmt (2008) More than half of the reformist seats belongs to the main reformist coalition and the rest are affiliated with the NTP. ;Farhi (2008) According to Farideh Farhi, out of the 287 seats, approximately 170 can be identified as won by conservatives whose candidacy was supported by the two major conservative lists.

United Front of Principlists United Front of Principlists (, ''Jabhah-e Muttahid-e Uṣūlgarāyān'') was an Iranian principlist political coalition that contested the 2008 and 2012 legislative elections. Member groups 2008 * Front of Followers of the Line of the Imam ...

won 117 seats and Principlists Pervasive Coalition won 96, while 50 were endorsed by both. A portion of conservatives, "die-hard"

supporters secured about 40% of the seats. ;Katzman (2009) ;Sanandaji (2009) ;''Mardomsalari'' newspaper (2012) According to Democracy Party's organ, the conservatives won 199 seats while the reformists won 47 and 41 were independents. ;Zaccara (2014)

First round results

Some 4,500 candidates nationwide were running for parliament's 290 seats vote, in which an estimated 44 million Iranians of over 18 years of age were eligible to vote. With less than two-thirds of the 290 contests decided by March 15, conservatives had won 125 seats, reformers won 35 and independents won 10, according to news agency Fars. Another 39 winners were independents whose political leanings were not immediately known. Five other seats dedicated to Iran's

and

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

ian minorities have been decided.

Voter turnout

Anoushiravan Ehteshami Anoushiravan "Anoush" Ehteshami () is the Professor and was Joint Director of the ESRC Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World at Durham University. Ehteshami is the Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Chair in International Relations and Directo ...

, citing the ministry of interior as the source, writes that number of eligible voters were 43,824,254 and 22,350,254 votes were cast. Voter turnout in the first round is disputed. Government officials claim that as many as 65% of Iran's 49 million eligible voters took part, a solid turnout but not reaching the around 80% that flooded the polls in elections in the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade). some conservative circles insisted that it was 73% or higher, "showing" popular support for the regime. "Yet the Ministry of the Interior's own figures indicated a national turnout of 52%, and no more than 30% in Tehran", roughly equivalent to 2004 turnout."International: Back to first principles; Iran's election." ''The Economist''. London: March 22, 2008. Vol. 386, Iss. 8572; pg. 70 From amongst the 49 million eligible voters above 18 years of age announced by the Iran Statistics Center some 23 million Iranians, i.e. 47 percent, participated in the parliamentary elections of March 2, 2008. This is the lowest level when compared with the eight previous parliamentary elections. Of this amount, 30 percent of the voters came from large cities and provincial capitals while in Tehran which is the political nerve center of the country whose residents demonstrate the most political behavior, the number stood at 27 percent. According to the government’s final figures, 650,000 citizens of Tehran have taken part in the second round of the elections for the Majlis (Iranian parliament), that is less than 8% of those eligible to vote.

Second round

82 seats in which no candidate gained more than 25% of the vote in the first round held another round of voting on 25 April 2008; 11 of those seats were in Tehran. Of the 164 candidates, 69 are considered to be Conservative, 41 Reformists and 54 as Independents. Turnout in the second round was only about 25%. Following the election, the 8th parliament opened on May 27, 2008.

Issues

Issues in the election have been described as "unemployment, inflation and fuel shortages" in a petroleum-exporting country, and increasing inequality. "The price of some basic foods has doubled within the past year and rents are soaring." Influential conservative clerics are also said to be irritated by president Ahmadinejad's "folksy and superstitious brand of ostentatious piety and his favouritism to men of military rather than clerical backgrounds."

References

External links

Iran Profile
election guide {{Iranian elections 2008 elections in Iran March 2008 in Iran April 2008 in Iran Islamic Consultative Assembly elections

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...