Iran gears up for legislative election
Week-long campaign commences for parliamentary elections that will likely highlight rivalry within conservative camp.
More than 3,400 candidates across Iran have launched their campaigns for next week's parliamentary elections, which mark the first test of popularity for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since his disputed 2009 re-election.
The week-long parliamentary election campaign began on Thursday, the official IRNA news agency said.
The March 2 vote is likely to highlight the popularity of the clerical establishment as it stands firm against Western pressure to curb its nuclear programme.
The vote will be especially hard fought between Ahmadinejad's supporters and opponents within the conservative camp, and will focus attention on the political rivalry between the president and his adversaries within the ruling system.
The election, the first since the 2009 vote that sparked unrest and a crushing state response, is shaping up as a contest among clerical and political conservatives.
With a no-show by leading pro-reform groups, loyalists of Iran's most powerful figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and backers of Ahmadinejad, who is not a cleric, will compete for a majority of the 290-seat parliament.
Khamenei's supporters, sharply critical of Ahmadinejad's economic policies, look set to win the vote as international sanctions imposed over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme make life harder for ordinary Iranians.
"The 3,444 candidates running for parliamentary elections have started the campaigning by mainly handing out fliers and raising posters on Thursday," IRNA reported.
The streets of Tehran lacked the lively mood of an election. There were sporadic banners in some major squares and streets but most of them bore pictures of Khamenei, as both camps were trying to take advantage of his popularity to attract votes.
"Organising the country requires a capable parliament which can be achieved by active participation in elections," read a purple banner in central Tehran.
A strong showing by Ahmadinejad's camp would send a message of resilience to the ruling clerics, led by Khamenei, after a string of messy political feuds.
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Article continues at the source and also includes a video report.
More than 3,400 candidates across Iran have launched their campaigns for next week's parliamentary elections, which mark the first test of popularity for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since his disputed 2009 re-election.
The week-long parliamentary election campaign began on Thursday, the official IRNA news agency said.
The March 2 vote is likely to highlight the popularity of the clerical establishment as it stands firm against Western pressure to curb its nuclear programme.
The vote will be especially hard fought between Ahmadinejad's supporters and opponents within the conservative camp, and will focus attention on the political rivalry between the president and his adversaries within the ruling system.
The election, the first since the 2009 vote that sparked unrest and a crushing state response, is shaping up as a contest among clerical and political conservatives.
With a no-show by leading pro-reform groups, loyalists of Iran's most powerful figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and backers of Ahmadinejad, who is not a cleric, will compete for a majority of the 290-seat parliament.
Khamenei's supporters, sharply critical of Ahmadinejad's economic policies, look set to win the vote as international sanctions imposed over Tehran's disputed nuclear programme make life harder for ordinary Iranians.
"The 3,444 candidates running for parliamentary elections have started the campaigning by mainly handing out fliers and raising posters on Thursday," IRNA reported.
The streets of Tehran lacked the lively mood of an election. There were sporadic banners in some major squares and streets but most of them bore pictures of Khamenei, as both camps were trying to take advantage of his popularity to attract votes.
"Organising the country requires a capable parliament which can be achieved by active participation in elections," read a purple banner in central Tehran.
A strong showing by Ahmadinejad's camp would send a message of resilience to the ruling clerics, led by Khamenei, after a string of messy political feuds.
_________________
Article continues at the source and also includes a video report.