Iranian local elections, 2017

Last updated
Iranian local elections, 2017
Flag of Iran.svg
  2013 19 May 20172021 

Alliance Reformists Principlists
SwingIncrease2.svg 34≈35 pp Decrease2.svg 22≈26 pp
Provincial capitals
per Tasnim [1]
166 / 315(53%)
75 / 315(24%)
per Iran [2]
165 / 320(52%)
91 / 320(28%)

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 Country in Western Asia

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 of Iran

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.

Contents

Registration

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]

Results

Provincial capitals

Political distribution of 134 seats for Tehran and nine major cities according to KhabarOnline report. [4]

  Reformists (73.88%)
  Principlists (14.17%)
  Independents (11.94%)

315 Province capital seats won by political factions according to Tasnim News Agency report. (Excluding twenty seats for Bandar Abbas and Sari) [1]

Tasnim News Agency Iranian News Agency

Tasnim News Agency is a private news agency in Iran launched in 2012. Its purpose is to cover a variety of political, social, economic and international subjects along with other fields. All its content is licensed as Creative Commons.

Bandar Abbas City in Hormozgan, Iran

Bandar Abbas is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz, and it is the location of the main base of the Iranian Navy. Bandar Abbas is also the capital and largest city of Bandar Abbas County. At the 2006 census, its population was 367,508, with 89,404 families.

Sari womans draped garment of South Asia

A sari, saree or shari is a women's garment from the Indian subcontinent that consists of a drape varying from five to nine yards in length and two to four feet in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff. There are various styles sari manufacture and draping, the most common being the Nivi style, which originated in Deccan region of India. The sari is worn with fitted bodice commonly called a choli and petticoat called parkar or ul-pavadai. In the modern Indian subcontinent, the sari is considered a cultural icon.

  Reformists (52.69%)
  Principlists (23.49%)
  Independents (23.64%)

320 Province capital seats won by political factions according to Iran newspaper report. (Excluding seats for Ahvaz and two of Bojnourd seats) [2]

<i>Iran</i> (newspaper) newspaper

Iran is the official daily newspaper of the government of Iran.

Ahvaz City in Khuzestan, Iran

Ahvaz is a city in the southwest of Iran and the capital of Khuzestan province. Ahvaz's population is about 1,300,000 and its built-up area with the nearby town of Sheybani is home to 1,136,989 inhabitants. It is home to Persians, Arabs, Lurs (Bakhtiaris), Dezfulis, Shushtaris, etc. and different languages are spoken in it, such as Persian, Arabic, the Persian dialects of Luri (Bakhtiari), Dezfuli, Shushtari, etc.

  Reformists (51.56%)
  Principlists (28.43%)
  Independents (20%)

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]

Highlights

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]

Post-election controversy over non-Muslim councillors

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]

Related Research Articles

The Iranian local elections took place on 14 June 2013 to elected members of the fourth council of the City and Village Councils of Iran. This election was held by a general election with the presidential election. The original date of the election was in June 2010 but Parliament of Iran voted to increase age of the councils from 4 to 7 years. The councils began their work one month after the election to elect the new mayors. Officials said special inspectors have been charged with monitoring more than 67,000 polling stations nationwide. Over 200,000 candidates have been qualified to run for both city and rural council seats. More than 126,000 seats are up for grab in the elections.

Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee Iranian politician

Hamid-Reza Haji Babaee is an Iranian politician who was Minister of Education from 2009 to 2013. He is the current member of the Parliament of Iran from Hamedan since 2016, as he previously held the position from same district from 1996 until 2009 when he was nominated as Minister of Education by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and was confirmed by Parliament. He was Head of Education Commission in the Parliament.

Darreh Shahr City in Ilam, Iran

Darreh Shahr is an Iranian city, capital of Darreh Shahr County, located in the south-eastern part of Ilam Province, in the northern side of Kabir Kuh ranges. As the only city in the county, the 2011 census recorded a population of 24,961, making it the second-largest city in the province. The ruins of the Darreh Shahr Ancient City is located in the south of city. The Darreh Shahr river flows through the city and into the Seymareh river.

Front of Islamic Revolution Stability

Front of Islamic Revolution Stability is an Iranian principlist political group described as "extreme end of the fundamentalist camp" and "Iran’s most right-wing party". It was established as an electoral list for the 2012 legislative election. The Front is partly made up of former ministers of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi is said to be the "spiritual leader" behind the group.

Peoples Voice (Iran)

The People's Voice, Nation's Voice or Voice of Nation Coalition was an electoral list for Iranian 2012 and 2016 legislative elections, led by Ali Motahari.

Assembly of Experts election were held in Iran on 26 February 2016 to elect Assembly of Experts members. The 88 members of the Assembly of Experts, known as mujtahids, are directly elected. The elections had been planned for 2014, but were delayed by a year in order to hold them alongside the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections.

Islamic City Council of Tabriz

The Islamic City Council of Tabriz is the elected council that presides over the city of Tabriz, elects the Mayor of Tabriz, and budgets of the Municipality of Tabriz. The council is composed of twenty-one members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Council are chosen by the council at the first regular meeting in odd-numbered years. In the last election between Principlists and reformers, Principlists won the most seats.

Front of Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Leader

Front of Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Leader, formerly known as Islamic Aligned Organizations is a Coalition of Iranian Principlist political groups. The group which consists of a wide range of traditional conservative parties, is active since administration of Mohammad Khatami, and is aligned with The two Societies.

The Council for Coordinating the Reforms Front or the Reformist Front Coordination Council is the umbrella organization, coalition and council of main political groups within the Iranian reform movement. Since 2015, it is overseen by the Reformists' Supreme Council for Policymaking.

Front of Transformationalist Principlists is an Iranian principlist political group, consisting of Society of Devotees of the Islamic Revolution and Society of Pathseekers of the Islamic Revolution.

Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr (electoral district)

Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr is a constituency for the Islamic Consultative Assembly.

Elaheh Rastgou Iranian politician

Elaheh Rastgou is an Iranian conservative-minded reformist politician who is currently an outgoing member of City Council of Tehran. She was formerly a Member of Parliament.

Astara (electoral district) Wikimedia list article

Astara is an electoral district in the Gilan Province in Iran. This electoral district have 86,575 population and elects 1 members of parliament.

Reformists Front, formerly called Democracy Front and Front for Consolidation of Democracy, is an Iranian reformist political alliance of "little-known parties" formerly pivoted by Democracy Party.

Qom Province is a religious and politically conservative place, with most voters supportive of the principlist tendency.

This is an overview of the Iranian legislative election, 2004 in Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat and Eslamshahr electoral district. Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran was able to win 29 out of 30 seats in the constituency in the first round.

Rasht (electoral district)

Rasht is an electoral district in the Gilan Province in Iran. This electoral district have 956,971 population and elects 3 members of parliament.

An election to the Islamic City Council of Tehran took place on 14 June 2013, along with the local elections nationwide.

An election to the Islamic City Council of Tehran took place on 26 February 1999, along with the local elections nationwide.

Sepanta Niknam is an Iranian politician who serves as a councillor in Yazd since 2013. He is the first Zoroastrian to have served as councillor in the city, and the only non-Muslim in the city councils of Iran.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 تسنیم گزارش می‌دهد: اسامی منتخبان شورای شهر مراکز استان‌های سراسر کشور + گرایش سیاسی (in Persian), Tasnim News Agency, 20 May 2017, 1413710, retrieved 27 May 2017
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 بررسی نتایج پنجمین دوره انتخابات شوراهای شهر و روستا مشخص کرد: پیروزی قاطع اصلاح طلبان در 20 مرکز استان (PDF) (in Persian) (6506), Iran, 28 May 2017, pp. 1, 4
  3. Iran’s Upcoming Local Elections Are an Opportunity for Women, The Wire, 12 May 2017, retrieved 27 August 2017
  4. 1 2 Zahra Dastani (24 May 2017), سهم جناح‌های سیاسی از شورای شهر تهران و ۹شهر بزرگ ایران (in Persian), KhabarOnline, retrieved 27 May 2017
  5. "Are Reformists Finally Gaining A Strong Foothold?", Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 22 May 2017, retrieved 22 May 2017
  6. Saeid Jafari, "Zoroastrian takes center stage on Iran’s political scene", Al-Monitor, 2 November 2017
  7. IRNA, "Iranian parliament debating bill on religious minorities", The Iran Projet, 29 November 2017