Candidate registrations for Iran’s parliamentary elections hit record high

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A record number of people have registered to become candidates in Iran’s parliamentary elections scheduled for March that will be the first since nationwide protests rocked the country last year. The Interior Ministry website said on Monday that nearly 49,000 people filed paperwork seeking to run as candidates during a one-week registration period that ended on Sunday. That number is more than triple the 16,000 registrations filed during the last election in 2020, when voter turnout was its lowest since 1979, with just over 42% of eligible voters casting ballots. Authorities in the coming weeks will verify the documents filed by would-be candidates. The monthslong vetting process will conclude in late October when verified hopefuls will be allowed to apply for candidacy.