By Tyler Yates
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
TEHRAN, Iran — On 2 March Iran held their first elections since the 2009 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spurred mass protests. Human Rights Watch has called Iran’s parliamentary elections grossly unfair due to their arbitrary disqualifications and other restrictions.
The voting for 290 seats came after the disqualification of hundreds of candidates on the basis of vague and ill-defined criteria. Opposition leaders were either barred from participating, serving suspicious prison sentences, or they voluntarily refused to participate in what they considered sham elections.
On 21 February, the Guardian Council, an unelected body of 12 religious jurists, announced that only about 3,500 of the approximately 5,400 candidates running for parliamentary seats had been approved by Iran’s parliament. At least 35 of those who were disqualified are current members of parliament. The Interior Ministry had previously disqualified 750 candidates.
Iran’s opposition and reformist movement called for an election boycott in response to these disqualifications, and other state actions.
“Iranian authorities have stacked the deck by disqualifying candidates and arbitrarily jailing key members of the reform movement,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.“There is no transparency surrounding the vetting and selection of candidates.”
Iran’s vetting process for both parliamentary and presidential elections is comprised of several stages. Initial cuts come on the basis of election laws, with some concrete criteria such as age and education, but many of the criteria are extremely vague and ambiguous, allowing the authorities to cut applicants without discretion.
Candidates were disqualified for “a lack of adherence to Islam and the Constitution,” for being critical of President Ahmadinejad’s government, and for being allegedly affiliated or supportive of “illegal” parties.
Of note, several of the candidates banned from running are members of the 15 member Sunni bloc in parliament. The Sunni are a minority in Iran, and on December 19, 2011 the bloc sent Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a letter asking him to protect the political and social rights of Iran’s Sunni minority.
The parliamentary elections have been largely viewed as a contest between President Ahmadinejad’s supporters and those of Ayatollah Khamenei. The underlying issue has been the growing tension between the president and Khamenei since Ahmadinejad’s controversial 2009 reelection. Though Khamenei supported Ahmadinejad’s victory as president, there has been uneasiness between the two ever since, including an incident with Ahmadinejad disappearing from public view for 11 days after his decision to fire an intelligence minister was overruled by Khamenei.
It appears that Khamenei was the victor in the most reason battle. Candidates who support Khamenei look to gain about ¾ of the parliamentary seats, Iran’s state-run Press TV reported on Sunday.
The strength of the various parties after this election will set the stage for the, vastly more important, 2013 Iranian presidential elections.
The results of the election are not likely to change Iran’s stance on their controversial nuclear program.
For more information, please see:
CNN — Iran leader consolidates power, vote results suggest — 4 Mar. 2012
Tehran Times — Iran dismisses Hague’s claims on Majilis polls — 4 Mar. 2012
BBC — Iran conservatives contest poll for parliament — 2 Mar. 2012
Human Rights Watch — Iran: Fair Vote Impossible — 1 Mar. 2012
