14.09.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Religious minorities are not allowed to be elected to a representative body or to hold senior government or military positions, with the exception that 5 seats in the Majlis (parliament) seats in the Majlis are reserved for religious minorities ("International Religious Freedom Report 2007") [ID 21189]

"By law, religious minorities are not allowed to be elected to a representative body or to hold senior government or military positions, with the exception that 5 of a total 290 seats in the Majlis are reserved for religious minorities.

Three of these seats are reserved for members of Christian religious groups, including two seats for the country's Armenian Christians, and one for Assyrian Christians. There is also one seat to represent Jewish Iranians, and one to represent Iranian Zoroastrians.

While Sunnis do not have reserved seats in the Majlis, they are allowed to serve in the body. Sunni Majlis deputies tend to be elected from among the larger Sunni communities. Members of religious minorities are allowed to vote; however, all minority religious groups, including Sunni Muslims, are barred from being elected president."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Due to changes of electoral procedures in 2004, the right of citizens to change their government was restricted significantly ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20927]

"The right of citizens to change their government was restricted significantly. The supreme leader, the recognized head of state, is elected by the Assembly of Experts and can only be removed by a vote of this assembly. The assembly is restricted to clerics, who serve an eight-year term and are chosen by popular vote from a list approved by the Council of Guardians. There is no separation of state and religion, and clerical influence pervades the government.

According to the constitution, a presidential candidate must be elected from among religious and political personalities (rejal, which is interpreted by the Council of Guardians to mean men only), of Iranian origin, and believe in the Islamic Republic's system and principles. The Council of Guardians, which reviews all laws for consistency with Islamic law and the constitution, has "approbatory supervision," allowing it to screen candidates for election. The council only accepts candidates who support a theocratic state.

The supreme leader also approves the candidacy of presidential candidates, with the exception of an incumbent president. Prior to the 2004 parliamentary elections, the Guardian Council vetoed legislation that would have required it to reinstate disqualified candidates unless the council legally documented their exclusion. Regularly scheduled elections are held for the presidency, the Majles, and the Assembly of Experts, as well as municipal councils."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Elections for the assembly of experts, municipal councils, and Majles by-elections in December 2006: Reform candidates and women were disqualified or failed the exam on religious interpretation ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20928]

"On December 15, there were elections for the Assembly of Experts, municipal councils, and Majles by-elections. Hundreds of potential candidates, largely reformists, were disqualified by the Guardian Council and parliamentary electoral committees prior to the elections. Nonetheless, in the municipal election for the Tehran city council, reformists gained more seats than did supporters of President Ahmadinejad. In the Assembly of Experts elections, Ahmadinejad's political rival, Expediency Council chair Hojatoleslam Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, received the most votes in the Tehran constituency by a significant margin.


The December 19 UNGA resolution on the country's human rights expressed serious concern at "the absence of many conditions necessary for free and fair elections" including arbitrary disqualification of large numbers of prospective candidates.


On November 14, council spokesperson Abbas Ali Kadkhodai announced only 144 of the 492 prospective candidates were eligible to run in the December 15 Assembly of Experts elections. Reports indicated that 100 candidates withdrew their applications, and all female candidates failed the written exam on religious interpretation (ijtihad).

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Document(s): Open document

30.11.2006 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Candidates of fundamentalists and reformists ruled out from election of assembly of experts ("Iran: Reformist, Fundamentalist Candidates Ruled Out Of Assembly Election") [ID 17851]

Document(s): Open document

20.11.2006 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Disqualifications of candidates ahead of upcoming election for Assembly of Experts ("Iran: Assembly Election Significant Despite Heavy Vetting") [ID 18020]

Document(s): Open document