Iran hopes high turn-out in parliamentary elections

Iran's high legislative body has reversed disqualification of hundreds of candidates for imminent parliamentary elections and expects a large number of people would participate in the parliamentary elections later this month, an Iranian Interior Ministry official announced here on Tuesday.

The qualification of more than 1,500 candidates, already rejected by the Guardian Council of Constitution, was reconsidered and now they can run for parliamentary elections slated for Feb. 26, the deputy Interior Minister, Hossein-Ali Amiri, told reporters on Tuesday.

Iran's Guardian Council of Constitution is responsible for approving the candidates' faithfulness to the principles of the Islamic establishment.

Out of some 12,000 registered for the elections, the qualification of 51 percent has been approved, Amiri said, adding that women candidates comprise 10 percent of the qualified people.

Among the would-be parliament members, there are candidates from the conservatives, moderates as well as the reformists; therefore, high turn-out in the upcoming election is expected, he added.

The current texture of the Iranian Majlis (parliament) is overwhelmingly dominated by the conservatives. The reformists, thanks to president Hassan Rouhani's open policy, are hopeful to win a majority of the Majlis seats in the next elections.

The parliament currently has 290 representatives, about eight percent of them women. The legislation members are elected for four-year terms. Endit