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Election Date: May 7, 2004

At stake: Islamic Consultative Assembly

Background

Iran became an Islamic Republic after the monarchy was abolished in 1979. The Ayatollah Khomeini commanded a group of Muslim clerics who controlled the country for the next decade. Just months into the new regime, militants took 52 hostages inside the American Embassy in Tehran, demanding the extradition of the exiled Shah, who had been in the United States for medical treatment. The crisis played out in the international press, and had a profound effect in the 1980 United States presidential race.

The next eight years saw Iran involved in a devastating conflict with Iraq after a border dispute. The war left close to 1 million dead on both sides.

In April 2000, the political landscape changed once more, as a coalition of reformist lawmakers emerged victorious after the parliamentary elections with 189 seats. President Mohammad Khatami—first elected in 1997—was rewarded with a new term in 2001.

The reforms proposed by Khatami made him increasingly popular with younger Iranians, an important fact in a country where voters can head to the polls at the age of 16. Still, the country's true head of state—the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—and the Council of Guardians do not always agree with the president's views on maintaining Islamic traditions. Iran's unemployment rate—close to 20 per cent according to official estimates—has also been a cause for concern.

After being branded as part of an "axis of evil" by U.S. president George W. Bush in January 2002, Iran has contended that its nuclear program aims to produce energy, not weapons.

2004 Islamic Consultative Assembly Election

The 2004 electoral campaign was controversial, as the Council of Guardians determined that 3,605 candidates—including 80 lawmakers belonging to the Second of Khordad Front and other reformist political factions—would not be allowed to run. Khatami called the decision "senseless." The president's younger brother, Mohammad Reza Khatami, was one of the prospective candidates summarily dismissed by the Council.

On Jan. 12, the banned lawmakers walked out of the Islamic Consultative Assembly session to protest their exclusion. On Jan. 23, the Council of Guardians issued a statement saying the panel would be willing to reverse any "mistakes" made in the assessment of possible candidates.

On Jan. 28, the country's largest student movement—the Office for Fostering Unity—asked voters to protest the disqualifications by boycotting the assembly elections. Some of Iran's reformist political organizations also advocated for a boycott. On Feb. 9, the League of Combatant Clerics—president Khatami's party—announced it would be participating in the election.

The Council of Guardians eventually reinstated 255 disqualified entrants. A total of 679 candidates officially withdrew from the race, leaving conservative contenders without any reformist opposition in 132 of the 290 constituencies.

On Feb. 18, Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi offered her support to the electoral boycott. The human rights lawyer said she would not head to the polls, to protest the barring of reformist candidates. In an open letter distributed to journalists, a group of more than 90 outgoing lawmakers accused Khamenei of allowing the Council of Guardians to "violate the legitimate freedoms and rights of the people." The note asked the supreme leader to clarify whether he played any role in the disqualifications.

Voting took place on Feb. 20, and was extended for four additional hours. Final figures provided by the interior ministry on Feb. 26 showed conservative and Islamic candidates with a majority, winning 154 seats. Only 40 reformists were chosen, down from 189 in the 2000 vote. Five members of religious minorities—Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians—and 30 independents were also elected.

No contender was able to garner more than 25 per cent of the vote in 59 seats, forcing a second round on May 7.

Official tallies released on Feb. 22 established the turnout at 50.5 per cent of all eligible voters, and only 28 per cent in the capital Tehran. The numbers represent the lowest level of participation for an election since Iran became an Islamic Republic. In the 2000 ballot, 67.2 per cent of eligible voters took part.

Seyed Ali Riaz of the Coalition of Builders of Islamic Iran has vowed to work alongside president Khatami, but also said his political faction might remove some of the current cabinet ministers in due time.

On Apr. 13, Khatami asked the Assembly to withdraw two controversial bills that were designed to limit the power of the Council of Guardians. In a letter read by vice-president Ali Abathi, the president told fellow lawmakers that he preferred to remove the proposed pieces of legislation altogether, rather than tolerate a diluted version.

On May 7, voters elected 57 more lawmakers to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Out of 114 candidates who were registered to contend in the second round, only 17 were considered reformists.

On May 27, Iran's seventh parliament since the revolution was officially introduced. Islamic and conservative legislators dominate the legislative branch with 190 seats.

On May 29, Gholamali Haddad-Adel was chosen as speaker. Adel—a professor of philosophy and former deputy minister of education—has close personal and family ties with supreme leader Khamenei.

Two assembly seats remain undecided. The election in the Bam region was indefinitely postponed after an earthquake caused 20,000 fatalities in December 2003. Also, a seat from a heavily populated Tehran constituency will remain vacant until the next presidential election in 2005, to avoid unnecessary expenses.

Political Players

Rahbar: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
President: Mohammad Khatami

The Rahbar is the leader of the Islamic Republic. The president is elected to a four-year term by popular vote.

Legislative Branch: The Majlis-e-Shura-ye-Eslami (Islamic Consultative Assembly) has 290 members, elected to four-year terms in multi-seat and single-seat constituencies. All assembly candidates have to be approved by the Shura-E-Nigahban (Council of Guardians) in order to run. The Council is charged with examining all legislation passed by the Assembly, to ensure that it conforms to Islamic law. The Council has twelve members; six clergymen chosen by the Leadership Council, plus six Muslim lawyers selected by the High Council of Justice. Council members serve six-year terms. Six posts are changed every three years.

Results of Last Election:

President - Jun. 8, 2001

Islamic Consultative Assembly - Feb. 20 and May 7, 2004

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