Invitation to Women to Register for Council Elections

Simultaneously with the invitation from the Reformist Women's Assembly for 'worthy women' to register for the council elections, the head of the Reformist Policy Council announced that 'the prominent presence' of women in this institution will lead to its increased efficiency. According to ILNA news agency, Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the Reformist Policy Council, stated on Sunday, March 19, in a message on the occasion of Women's Day in Iran that councils are 'undoubtedly one of the manifestations of women's participation in managing community affairs.' He added, 'I am sure that in the fifth round of city and village councils, we will witness the prominent presence of educated women, which will lead to the increased efficiency of this civil institution that is the fruit of the Reformist government.' Meanwhile, the Reformist Women's Assembly also issued a statement inviting 'worthy and committed women' to run for council elections and to 'appreciate this opportunity to showcase their competencies in the responsibility of urban management.' This group emphasized that 'with reliance on reformist methods and in the light of law and collective will, it is possible to reduce discrimination, corruption, economic, social, and welfare deprivation, provided that the ground for effective and inclusive participation of women in managing city and village councils is prepared.' Azar Mansouri, deputy of the Society of Muslim Women Reformists, also stated on March 10 that Reformists will allocate 30% of their electoral lists to women in the council elections across the country. She emphasized that lists that do not allocate this 'capacity' to women are 'lacking the Reformist brand.' In the previous city council elections, 12,000 women registered as candidates, which was a 1.7-fold increase compared to the previous period. However, the number of female candidates only constituted 4% of all candidates. In this election, 179,292 individuals were elected, of which 173,200 were men and 6,096 were women. Meanwhile, some websites reported that the number of elected women in councils has quadrupled in this period, although women hold only 3% of the seats in city and village councils. In the tenth parliamentary elections, a campaign titled 'Changing the Male Face of Parliament' was formed to increase the number of female representatives. In this election, 18 women entered the parliament, but the Guardian Council invalidated the votes of Minou Khalighi, the third elected candidate from the Isfahan constituency. Registration for candidates for the fifth round of city and village council elections will begin on Tuesday, March 21.