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Local elections were held in Iran on 19 May 2017 to elect members of the City and Village Councils simultaneously with the twelfth presidential election.
Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. With over 81 million inhabitants, Iran is the world's 18th most populous country. Comprising a land area of 1,648,195 km2 (636,372 sq mi), it is the second largest country in the Middle East and the 17th largest in the world. Iran is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, and to the west by Turkey and Iraq. The country's central location in Eurasia and Western Asia, and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, give it geostrategic importance. Tehran is the country's capital and largest city, as well as its leading economic and cultural center.
City and Village Councils are local councils which are elected by public vote in all cities and villages throughout Iran. Council members in each city or village are elected by direct public vote to a 4-year term.
A total number of 287,425 candidates registered in the elections nationwide, including 17,885 women (6.3%). Share of female candidates shows a slight increase in comparioson to 2013 elections, when they made up just 5.4%. [3]
KhabarOnline reported the results for ten major city councils as follows: [4]
City | Principlists | Reformists | Independents | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tehran | 0 / 21 (0%) | 21 / 21 (100%) | 0 / 21 (0%) | |
Mashhad | 0 / 15 (0%) | 15 / 15 (100%) | 0 / 15 (0%) | |
Isfahan | 0 / 13 (0%) | 13 / 13 (100%) | 0 / 13 (0%) | |
Karaj | 0 / 13 (0%) | 13 / 13 (100%) | 0 / 13 (0%) | |
Qom | 12 / 13 (92%) | 0 / 13 (0%) | 1 / 13 (8%) | |
Shiraz | 1 / 13 (8%) | 12 / 13 (92%) | 0 / 13 (0%) | |
Tabriz | 3 / 13 (23%) | 8 / 13 (62%) | 2 / 13 (15%) | |
Yazd | 2 / 11 (18%) | 6 / 11 (55%) | 3 / 11 (27%) | |
Zahedan | 0 / 11 (0%) | 11 / 11 (100%) | 0 / 11 (0%) | |
Rasht | 1 / 9 (11%) | 4 / 9 (44%) | 4 / 9 (44%) | |
Total | 19 / 134 (14%) | 99 / 134 (74%) | 16 / 134 (12%) |
Rouhani administration-controlled newspaper Iran [2] and allegedly Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim News Agency [1] published detailed reports on the results, with the number of seats won by each bloc as following:
City | Principlists | Reformists | Independents | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tabriz | 4 / 13 (31%) | 8 / 13 (62%) | 1 / 13 (8%) | [1] | |
3 / 13 (23%) | 8 / 13 (62%) | 2 / 13 (15%) | [2] | ||
Urmia | 6 / 11 (55%) | 1 / 11 (9%) | 4 / 11 (36%) | [1] | |
3 / 11 (27%) | 1 / 11 (9%) | 7 / 11 (64%) | [2] | ||
Ardabil | 0 / 11 (0%) | 6 / 11 (55%) | 5 / 11 (45%) | [1] | |
3 / 11 (27%) | 4 / 11 (36%) | 4 / 11 (36%) | [2] | ||
Esfahan | 0 / 15 (0%) | 15 / 15 (100%) | 0 / 15 (0%) | [1] [2] | |
Karaj | 0 / 13 (0%) | 12 / 13 (92%) | 1 / 13 (8%) | [1] [2] | |
Ilam | 3 / 7 (43%) | 3 / 7 (43%) | 1 / 7 (14%) | [1] | |
2 / 7 (29%) | 1 / 7 (14%) | 4 / 7 (57%) | [2] | ||
Bushehr | 1 / 9 (11%) | 4 / 9 (44%) | 4 / 9 (44%) | [1] | |
3 / 9 (33%) | 4 / 9 (44%) | 2 / 9 (22%) | [2] | ||
Tehran | 0 / 21 (0%) | 21 / 21 (100%) | 0 / 21 (0%) | [1] [2] | |
Shahr-e Kord | 5 / 7 (71%) | 2 / 7 (29%) | 0 / 7 (0%) | [1] [2] | |
Birjand | 0 / 9 (0%) | 1 / 9 (11%) | 8 / 9 (89%) | [1] | |
8 / 9 (89%) | 1 / 9 (11%) | 0 / 9 (0%) | [2] | ||
Mashhad | 0 / 21 (0%) | 15 / 15 (100%) | 0 / 21 (0%) | [1] [2] | |
Bojnourd | 1 / 9 (11%) | 6 / 9 (67%) | 2 / 9 (22%) | [1] | |
Ahvaz | 8 / 13 (62%) | 1 / 13 (8%) | 4 / 13 (31%) | [1] | |
Zanjan | 4 / 9 (44%) | 2 / 9 (22%) | 3 / 9 (33%) | [1] | |
7 / 9 (78%) | 2 / 9 (22%) | 0 / 9 (0%) | [2] | ||
Semnan | 2 / 7 (29%) | 4 / 7 (57%) | 1 / 7 (14%) | [1] | |
3 / 7 (43%) | 4 / 7 (57%) | 0 / 7 (0%) | [2] | ||
Zahedan | 0 / 11 (0%) | 0 / 11 (0%) | 11 / 11 (100%) | [1] [2] | |
Shiraz | 1 / 13 (8%) | 12 / 13 (92%) | 0 / 13 (0%) | [1] [2] | |
Qazvin | 2 / 9 (22%) | 6 / 9 (67%) | 1 / 9 (11%) | [1] | |
3 / 9 (33%) | 6 / 9 (67%) | 0 / 9 (0%) | [2] | ||
Qom | 12 / 13 (92%) | 0 / 13 (0%) | 1 / 13 (8%) | [1] | |
13 / 13 (100%) | 0 / 13 (0%) | 0 / 13 (0%) | [2] | ||
Sanandaj | 0 / 9 (0%) | 4 / 9 (44%) | 5 / 9 (56%) | [1] | |
1 / 9 (11%) | 5 / 9 (56%) | 3 / 9 (33%) | [2] | ||
Kerman | 3 / 11 (27%) | 8 / 11 (73%) | 0 / 11 (0%) | [1] | |
4 / 11 (36%) | 7 / 11 (64%) | 0 / 11 (0%) | [2] | ||
Kermanshah | 5 / 11 (45%) | 4 / 11 (36%) | 2 / 11 (18%) | [1] | |
4 / 11 (36%) | 4 / 11 (36%) | 3 / 11 (27%) | [2] | ||
Yasuj | 3 / 7 (43%) | 3 / 7 (43%) | 1 / 7 (14%) | [1] | |
2 / 7 (29%) | 4 / 7 (57%) | 1 / 7 (14%) | [2] | ||
Gorgan | 1 / 9 (11%) | 4 / 9 (44%) | 4 / 9 (44%) | [1] [2] | |
Rasht | 3 / 11 (27%) | 3 / 11 (27%) | 5 / 11 (45%) | [1] | |
5 / 11 (45%) | 3 / 11 (27%) | 3 / 11 (27%) | [2] | ||
Khorram Abad | 2 / 9 (22%) | 2 / 9 (22%) | 5 / 9 (56%) | [1] | |
3 / 9 (33%) | 3 / 9 (33%) | 3 / 9 (33%) | [2] | ||
Sari | 7 / 9 (78%) | 2 / 9 (22%) | 0 / 9 (0%) | [2] | |
Arak | 3 / 11 (27%) | 8 / 11 (73%) | 0 / 11 (0%) | [1] | |
2 / 11 (18%) | 8 / 11 (73%) | 1 / 11 (9%) | [2] | ||
Bandar Abbas | 2 / 11 (18%) | 3 / 11 (27%) | 6 / 11 (55%) | [2] | |
Hamadan | 4 / 11 (36%) | 5 / 11 (45%) | 2 / 11 (18%) | [1] | |
2 / 11 (18%) | 5 / 11 (45%) | 4 / 11 (36%) | [2] | ||
Yazd | 2 / 11 (18%) | 6 / 11 (55%) | 3 / 11 (27%) | [1] [2] | |
Total | 75 / 315 (24%) | 166 / 315 (53%) | 74 / 315 (23%) | [1] | |
91 / 320 (28%) | 165 / 320 (52%) | 64 / 320 (20%) | [2] |
During the elections, a 60-year-old bird seller was placed first in Khorram Abad, campaigning with walking the streets introducing himself to people. In Rasht, a teacher who was sacked after the 1979 Iranian Revolution as well as a street sweeper were elected. [5]
There has been a controversy around the reelection of Sepanta Niknam, a Zoroastrian municipal councillor in Yazd, as there was no clear legislation on the matter. "On April 15, about one month before Iran’s local and presidential elections", Ahmad Jannati, head of the Guardian Council, had "issued a directive demanding that non-Muslims be disqualified from running in the then-upcoming city and village council elections in localities where most of the population are Muslims". [6] On November 26, 2017, Iranian lawmakers approved the urgency of a bill that would give the right for members of the religious minorities to nominate candidates for the city and village councils elections. The bill secured 154 yes votes, 23 no and 10 abstention. A total of 204 lawmakers were present at the parliament session. [7]
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