Iran’s Parliamentary Election Campaign to Begin on February 18: Official


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The head of the Iranian Interior Ministry’s elections headquarters announced on Sunday that candidates for the two upcoming votes can start their election campaign in mid-February 2016.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Tehran, Mohammad Hossein Moqimi said the candidates in the country’s general elections can canvass for votes from February 18 to 25, 2016.

He further pointed to the government’s plans to use electronic ballot boxes in the elections and said one third of the votes will be cast electronically.

Back on September 21, Iranian Interior Ministry Spokesman Hossein Ali Amiri had announced that the country plans to use electronic ballot boxes in nine major and small cities in the general elections.

The process of holding electronic voting has 25 stages, 24 of which have been completed and only replacing conventional ballot boxes with the electronic ones has remained to be done, Amiri said at the time.

“The Administration has decided to hold electronic voting in 9 metropolises and small towns to increase the speed and accuracy (of the elections),” he noted.

Iran’s cabinet passed a plan in June on holding the two upcoming elections for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts using electronic voting machines.

They are both due to be held on February 26, 2016.