ASSESSMENTS

In Iran, Political Change at a Measured Pace

Feb 24, 2016 | 10:36 GMT

In Tehran, a banner encouraging voter participation depicts Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Moderate, reformist candidates have a chance to perform well in Iran's parliamentary elections Feb. 26.

(ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Forecast Highlights

In elections for the Iranian legislature and its powerful Assembly of Experts on Feb. 26, the country's conservative leadership will prevent any major moves toward reform.
Although most reformist candidates are barred from the race, some remaining candidates are adapting their conservative message to appeal to reform-oriented voters.
The success of these moderate candidates could nudge the Iranian government toward less hard-line policies.

For the first time in Iran's history, its two elected national government bodies, the 290-seat parliament and the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, are up for popular election on the same day. The broader public is calling for reform, and the Islamic Republic's conservative establishment has taken precautions to protect its hold on power by barring the most ardently reform-oriented candidates from the race. But with sanctions gradually lifting and Iranian voters looking to accelerate their country's economic opening, conservative candidates are adjusting their platforms to sound more and more like their reformist counterparts. ...

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