Parliamentary election in Iran 2020

Logo of the religious conservatives expected to win the election

The parliamentary elections in Iran 2020 took place on Friday, February 21 of that year.

Of the 14,444 candidates for the parliamentary seats in the Majlis (or Madschläs ) reform-oriented and modern-minded people were from the Iranian theocracy powerful Guardian Council largely not admitted. A total of 7,296 (51%) were disqualified, including 75% of the MPs from the last legislative term who ran again. The election is therefore seen as a struggle for power between religious conservatives (who often refer to themselves as "technocrats" and "engineers") such as former Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the ultra-conservatives and Shiite extremists, who give in to any dispute over the reject nuclear armament of Iran . There are also fears that there will be increasing militarization and that Islamist generals (such as Esmail Ghaani from the Quds Unit ) will come to power in Iran for the first time in Iran's history .

One seat is reserved for the Zoroastrians , the Jews , the Assyrians and Chaldeans as well as for the Armenians (see Armenians in Iran ). This division was called into question in this election, as the majority of Jews fled Iran in view of the anti-Semitic expulsions after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 .

complaints

On January 27, 2020, Mahmud Sadeghi, a former member of parliament of Iran and candidate for this year's election, announced in a tweet that middlemen had asked him for up to $ 300,000 to pass the candidate examination by the powerful Guardian Council .

On February 2, 2020, the Iranian news agency ILNA quoted Ali Hashemi, the former head of the Iranian drug control agency , that corruption was rampant. He said investigations by a wealthy drug smuggler revealed that he had spent much of his dirty money on the Iranian parliamentary elections. In some small towns, Hashemi said, parliamentary seats can be bought for around $ 300,000.

boycott

Numerous Iranian opposition activists and dissidents have urged their fellow citizens not to vote in what they describe as "fraud". Several urge citizens to work instead to overthrow the warring regime. Narges Mohammadi, a well-known human rights activist, has urged voters from Evin Prison to boycott the elections.

A poll by the Iranian Student Electoral Bureau (ISPA) found that over 44 percent of respondents across Tehran Province say they will not vote. Only 21 percent would still want to take part in the election.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Iran's parliament: What you need to know. In: Jordan Times. February 16, 2020, accessed on February 17, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Mired In Corruption, Iranian Neo-Cons Eye 2020 Parliamentary Elections. In: RFE / RL. June 20, 2019, accessed October 25, 2019 . 
3. ↑ Iran Lawmaker Alleges Middlemen Take Bribes To Help Approval of Candidates
4. ↑ Iran's Former Anti-Narcotics Chief Says 'Dirty Money' Influences Elections
5. ↑ Prominent Activist In Prison Calls On Iranians To Boycott February Elections
6. ↑ Iranians to protest Coming Polls by Not Voting