Candidates for Iran's parliament have officially begun campaigning for the upcoming election, marking the country's first electoral process since the violent crackdown on the 2022 nationwide protests triggered by the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody.
State television has reported that a record-breaking 15,200 candidates are vying for a four-year term in the 290-seat chamber, which has been under the control of hardliners for the past two decades. This number is more than double the candidates who participated in the 2020 election, which saw a voter turnout of just over 42%, the lowest since 1979.
