Iran sets date for next parliamentary elections

Iran has scheduled next parliamentary elections for March 2, 2012, the country's Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said Sunday, ISNA agency reported.

In accordance with the election law, Iran is to hold parliamentary elections three months prior to the completion of the legislative period.

Iran's Ministry of Interior is in charge of performing, supervising and reporting elections

Four-year term of the Iranian Parliament will finish in June, 2012.

Some political groups and parties worry considering the way of holding election in Iran and how the Guardian Council involved confirming their candidates. The Guardian Council must confirm the competency of candidates first.

In the absence of a number of arrested reformist figures in Iran after the presidential elections events, one of the opposition leaders, reformist Ex-president Mohammad Khatami, proposed the necessity of holding free elections that reformists would enter the parliament elections. But some members of the Guardian Council say that they never allow reformists to participate in elections and no need to present of them.

Strong opposition disorders occurred in Tehran after announcing of results of presidential elections held on June 12, 2009. Iran's current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won elections. According to Iran's central election committee, Ahmadinejad got 66 percent of votes. One of lost candidates - reformer Mir Hossein Mousavi accused authority of falsification of voting results and called people for actions of protest.

According to official information, roughly 20 people died during clashes. According to unofficial information, roughly 150 people died. Roughly 1,032 demonstrators were arrested. Most of them were released.


/Trend/