Local elections were held in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
on 19 May 2017 to elect members of the
City and Village Councils simultaneously with the
twelfth presidential election.
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 comparison to 2013 elections, when they made up just 5.4%.
Results
Provincial capitals
''KhabarOnline'' reported the results for ten major city councils as follows:
-controlled newspaper ''
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
''
and allegedly
Revolutionary Guards
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...
-affiliated
Tasnim News Agency
Tasnim News Agency ( fa, خبرگزاری تسنیم) is a semi-official news agency in Iran. It has links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Launched in 2012, its purpose is to cover a variety of political, social, economic and int ...
published detailed reports on the results, with the number of seats won by each bloc as following:
See also
List of results of 2017 Iranian local elections based on provinces for more detailed results.
Highlights
During the elections, a 60-year-old bird seller was placed first in
Khorram Abad Khorram ( fa, خرم) may refer to:
People with the surname
*Adib Khorram (born 1984), Iranian-American author
*Ahmad Khorram (born 1950), Iranian politician
*Homayoun Khorram (born 1930), Iranian musician
Places
* Khorram Brickworks, Qazvin Provi ...
, campaigning with walking the streets introducing himself to people. In
Rasht
Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...
, a teacher who was sacked after the 1979 Iranian Revolution as well as a street sweeper were elected.
Post-election controversy over non-Muslim councillors
There has been a controversy around the reelection of
Sepanta Niknam
Sepanta Niknam ( fa, سپنتا نیکنام) is an Iranian politician who serves as a councillor in Yazd since 2013. He is the first and only Zoroastrian to have served as councillor in the city, and the only non-Muslim in the city councils of I ...
, a
Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...
municipal councillor in
Yazd
Yazd ( fa, یزد ), formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,138,533. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a Worl ...
, as there was no clear legislation on the matter. "On April 15, about one month before Iran’s local and presidential elections",
Ahmad Jannati
Ahmad Jannati ( fa, احمد جنتی, born 23 February 1927) is an Iranian conservative politician. He was born in Ladan, Isfahan. Jannati is known for his anti-LGBT rhetoric and opposition to secularism. He is also a founding member of the Ha ...
, head of the
Guardian Council
The Guardian Council, (also called Council of Guardians or Constitutional Council, fa, شورای نگهبان, Shourā-ye Negahbān) is an appointed and constitutionally mandated 12-member council that wields considerable power and influence i ...
, 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". 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.
IRNA
The Islamic Republic News Agency ( fa, خبرگزاری جمهوری اسلامی, ''Xebergâzari-ye Jimhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye''), or IRNA, is the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Founded on 13 November 1934 as Pars News Agency ...
,
Iranian parliament debating bill on religious minorities
, ''The Iran Projet'', 29 November 2017
References
{{Iranian elections
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
local elections
In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...
May 2017 events in Iran