11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Elections for the Assembly of Experts, municipal councils and Majles by-elections in December 2006 were neither free nor fair ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23194]

"In December 2006 there were elections for the Assembly of Experts, municipal councils, and Majles by-elections. These elections were neither free nor fair, as the Guardian Council disqualified candidates based on ideological background. The parliamentary election commission and Guardian Council disqualified hundreds of potential candidates, largely reformists. Only 144 of the 492 prospective candidates were deemed eligible to run in the December 2006 Assembly of Experts elections.

In the Assembly of Experts elections, Expediency Council chair Hojatoleslam Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, a pragmatic conservative, received the most votes in the Tehran constituency by a significant margin. Reports indicated that 100 candidates withdrew their applications, and all female candidates failed the written exam on religious interpretation ("ijtihad") and were disqualified."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Government restrictions on election campaigning; newspapers banned from reporting on parties that were not registered with the ministry ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23195]

"There were reports that the government placed significant restrictions on election campaigning, reportedly forbidding candidates to post banners, hold rallies, or hand out flyers until only days before the elections. The interior ministry banned newspapers from reporting on parties that were not registered with the ministry."

Document(s): Open document