At stake in this election:

• 285 seats in the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Hoseini- KHAMENEI *
• Head of Government: President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD
• Assembly: Iran has a unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami) with 290 seats.

* The Leader of the Islamic Revolution is appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts.

Description of electoral system:

• The Leader of the Islamic Revolution is appointed.
• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami) 290 members are elected by qualified plurality vote to serve 4-year terms.***

*** 5 seats are reserved for religious minorities.

Main parties in the Second Round of the electoral race:

• Bloc: Reformist Coalition / اصلاح طلبان Eslâh-Talibân
  • Leader: Mostafa KAVAKEBIAN
  • Seats won in this election: 20
  • Seats won in last election: 39
• Bloc: United Front of Conservatives / ; E'telāf-e Ābādgarān-e Īrān-e Eslām
  • Leader: Ali LARIJANI
  • Seats won in this election: 52
  • Seats won in last election: 156
• Independent(s): Independents
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 10
  • Seats won in last election: 95

Main parties in the First Round of the electoral race:

• Bloc: Reformist Coalition / اصلاح طلبان Eslâh-Talibân
  • Leader: Mostafa KAVAKEBIAN
  • Seats won in this election: 31
  • Seats won in last election: 39
• Bloc: The United Front of Conservatives / ائتلاف آبادگران ایران اسلامی; E'telāf-e Ābādgarān-e Īrān-e Eslām
  • Leader: Ali LARIJANI
  • Seats won in this election: 143
  • Seats won in last election: 156
• Independent(s): Independents
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 29
  • Seats won in last election: 95

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 72,530,693 (2008)
• Registered Voters: 49,000,000 (March 2008 There is no voter registration in Iran)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 35,696,750 (2008)

·         Is Iran a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Iran ratified CEDAW: No

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 8 (following the 2008 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 69 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Iran a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Iran ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (23 Occtober 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 10,879,603 (est.)