Iran elections: First polls held since 2022 nationwide protests - BBC News

Turnout is seen as a crucial test for the regime - but how far is the choice a real one?

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated Topics2022 Iran protestsImage source, EPAImage caption, The elections are taking place as authorities in Iran continue their crackdown on dissentBy Farnoosh AmirshahiBBC PersianThe first elections in Iran since the nationwide anti-government protests of 2022 take place on Friday.

There will be two separate polls: one for members of parliament and the other for members of the Assembly of Experts, who are responsible for appointing, dismissing, and overseeing Iran's Supreme Leader, the country's most powerful figure and commander-in-chief.

The elections are seen as a crucial test for assessing the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic's regime.

In Iran, candidates for the presidency, parliament and Assembly of Experts must be approved by the Guardian Council, a body of clerics and jurists in which individuals appointed by the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, play a significant role.

In the years following the disputed presidential election of 2009 - which was followed by widespread street protests and a violent crackdown on dissent - candidates who expressed even the slightest criticism of how authorities responded to protests, supported reformist candidates or doubted the integrity of elections were disqualified. They included four former presidents and many other prominent political figures.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68422071

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