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Iran Election Campaign Starts with Thousands Barred from Standing

RFE/RL

   The weeklong campaigning for Iran's parliamentary elections kicked off
   with more than 7,000 candidates vying for the 290 seats in the
   legislature, state TV reported on Thursday.

   The February 21 elections are widely seen as a contest between
   hard-liners and conservatives after most pro-reform and moderate
   candidates were disqualified.

   The vote will also be a test of the popularity of President Hassan
   Rohani, a relative moderate who has struggled to deliver on promises to
   improve people's lives under crippling U.S. economic sanctions.

   But experts say rising public dissatisfaction over Iran's faltering
   economy and the absence of a transparent and fair election process are
   likely to dampen voter turnout.

   Rohani has criticized the Guardians Council, a hard-line body which
   vets all candidates, after it disqualified thousands of people who had
   registered to run, including 90 current lawmakers.

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