Are Iranian elections competitive? One of the essential questions about the 2013 Iranian presidential election for Iranians and outside observers is whether these elections are competitive. We all know that there is substantial pre-selection in Iranian national elections, whether for the presidency, parliament, or Assembly of Experts. The Council of Guardians, based on criteria set out in the Constitution and elsewhere but also its own internal criteria which are completely not transparent, chooses who can and cannot participate in the election. Therefore this year only eight candidates were qualified to participate from a larger pool of 686 applicants. While this is an extreme form of pre-selection, most democratic [...]
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