In a 'three-way' competition for the 'presidency'; Ghalibaf remains 'President'

One day after the formation of the twelfth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the newly elected members once again chose Baqer Ghalibaf as the 'President of the Assembly'. The Islamic Consultative Assembly, whose twelfth term began yesterday, is electing its board today. For the presidency of the Assembly, three members competed against each other. At the beginning of this morning's session, the secretary of the temporary board announced that Baqer Ghalibaf, Mojtaba Zolnouri, and Manouchehr Mottaki would compete for the presidency of the twelfth Assembly. After the voting, it was announced that out of 287 present, Ghalibaf received 198 votes, Zolnouri 60 votes, and Mottaki 5 votes, with 24 invalid votes. Furthermore, during the election of the board, among the six candidates for the vice-presidency, Nikzad and Hajibabaei were elected as the first and second vice presidents of the Assembly. The candidates for the vice-presidency included Hossein Ali Hajideligani, Abdolreza Masri, Ali Nikzad Samarin, Hamid Rasai, Mousa Ghazanfari Abadi, and Hamid Reza Hajibabaei. The twelfth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly was formed following two elections held in recent months with the lowest participation rates. Groups affiliated with the 'Principlist' faction in the Iranian government have undergone an intra-group competition in this election. Critics and opponents of the Islamic Republic have consistently declared elections in the Islamic Republic as 'non-competitive, unhealthy, and unfair' over the past decades. The Guardian Council, which is responsible for overseeing elections according to the Constitution, pre-selects registered candidates before any public voting takes place. The commencement of the twelfth term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly marks the record for the lowest participation rate in elections of the Islamic Republic.