The election campaigns began on Thursday and will end 24 hours before the start of the voting process, which is scheduled for April 29 for the constituencies where candidates failed to obtain the required minimum 25 percent of votes cast.
In the second round of Parliament elections 136 candidates will compete for 68 remaining seats in 55 constituencies. In February 6 (first round of elections) 221 candidates secured a green seat in Baharestan building. At least 25 per cent of the votes in a constituency would decide who would sit on the seat for constituency.
In the first round, the Guardian Council approved the health of elections in all constituencies, except for Makou (northwestern border city of East Azerbaijan). The Council also discredited the votes of the third candidate with majority votes in Isfahan. In Makou, both candidates were initially reported as failing to secure a majority. However, recounting of votes gave the ultimate result. One of candidates won the seat only marginally (5 votes).
In terms of provincial statistics, East Azerbaijan will have 9 empty seats, Khuzestan 7 seats, West Azerbaijan 6 seats, Lorestan 5 seats, Fars, Zanjan, and Golestan each 4 seats; Ilam, Tehran, Guilan, and Markazi 3 seats; Ardebil, Isfahan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Mazandaran, and Hamedan 2 seats; Razavi Khorasan, Hormozgan, and Yazd each single seat, to be occupied in the second round of elections.
Among the 138 competing candidtes, 53 are Principlist; 38 are Reformist-Moderate; and 45 others are independent.
PT/SH