Iran’s elections at a glance

The Iranian people have gone to the polls some 36 times since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

In the first such instance, a referendum on the establishment of the Islamic Republic was held on March 30 and 31, 1979 with a massive 98-percent turnout registered. More than 98 percent of the participants also voted “yes” to the Islamic Republic.

Just a few months later, on August 3, Iran held Constitutional Convention elections. Of the 20,857,391 eligible people, 10,784,932 participated in the elections, marking a 51.71-percent turnout. The new Constitution drawn up after the elections was approved by the voters in a referendum on December 2 and 3, 1979 with a 75.23-percent turnout.

Iranians have voted 11 times to pick president since 1979. The first presidential election was held on January 25, 1980 with the participation of 14,152,907 people, marking a 67.41-percent turnout. The last round of the presidential election was held on June 14, 2013. Of the 50,483,192 eligible voters, 36,821,538 or 72.94 percent participated in those polls, which saw Hassan Rouhani prevail in the contest.

On March 14, 1980, nearly 11 million Iranians, equivalent to 52.14 percent, went to the polls to cast their votes for the first parliamentary elections. The round of the parliamentary elections, the 10th of its kind, was held on February 26, 2016 with 61.64 percent of eligible voters attending the polls. A second round was held on April 29, 2016 with a 33.48-percent participation to determine the fate of 68 undecided seats in the legislative chamber.

The very first Iranian Assembly of Experts election was held on December 10, 1982 to elect all 82 members in 24 constituencies. Over 18 million Iranians, or 77.38 percent, voted in the elections.

A constitutional review referendum was held in Iran on July 28, 1989 simultaneously with the 5th presidential election. Some 54.51 percent of eligible people voted in the referendum.

The first elections for Iran’s City and Village Councils Elections were held on February 26, 1999 with a 64.42-percent turnout in 33,419 constituencies. More than 31.5 million people, or 62.65 percent, participated in the fourth and latest round of the elections on June 14, 2013 in 36,355 constituencies.

Iran will simultaneously hold the 12th presidential election and the 5th City and Village Councils Elections on May 19. Some 55 million Iranians are reportedly eligible to vote in the polls. 

The registration process for the 5th City and Village Councils Elections started on March 20 and ended on March 26. The head of the Interior Ministry's State Elections Committee, Ali Asghar Ahmadi, told reporters on March 27 that a total of 287,425 people had signed up for the upcoming elections at the end of the registration process, 14 percent more than the figure four years ago.

The registration process for the 12th presidential election started across Iran on Tuesday and would last for five days. During this period, presidential hopefuls are expected to register for taking part in the forthcoming presidential race. Right now, there are over 220 political parties and factions recognized by the Iranian Interior Ministry, but only 10 percent of them are actively recruiting members and weighing on domestic policies. Two major political camps are at the heart of Iran’s politics; Reformists and Principlists and anyone not in these two camps is considered an independent.

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