Second round of the 9th Majlis elections gets rolling in Iran

The official electoral campaign for the second round of the 9th Majlis elections gets rolling in Iran, with 130 candidates vying for the remaining 65 parliamentary seats.

The candidates launched their weeklong campaign in 33 constituencies on Thursday by introducing their plans to the public to win their votes and help them decide on the most qualified individuals for the legislative posts, IRNA reported.

The run-off elections will be held on May 4 after a total of 225 candidates succeeded in securing the required majority of votes to win the parliament seats in the first round held on March 2.

More than 64 percent of some 48 million eligible voters cast their ballots in Iran’s 9th Majlis elections, with 75 percent of the candidates from the Principlist camp securing the parliament seats.

Out of 30 candidates in the Tehran constituency, only five succeeded in winning the majority of votes in the first round of the elections.

According to Iranian law, Majlis candidates must receive at least a quarter of the votes in each riding in order to win a seat in the parliament. Otherwise, the riding must advance to a second round of voting.