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All 270 seats to theNational Consultative Assembly 136 seats are needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 20,758,391[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 52.14%[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Composition of the Assembly following the election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections were held inIran on 14 March 1980, with a second round on 9 May.[4] They were the first elections to theMajlis since the overthrow of theShah, and were contested to a considerable degree on a party basis.[5]
It resulted in a victory for theIslamic Republican Party, which won 85 of the 270 seats, whilst its allies won a further 45.[4] The party, joined by smaller Islamist groups in theGrand coalition was a highly organized force and put up candidates in most constituencies and dominated the campaigns, especially in the provinces.[6]
PresidentAbolhassan Banisadr and his followers, presented dozens of candidates in Tehran and provinces under the listOffice for the Cooperation of the People with the President.[6]
TheFreedom Movement of Iran which failed to organize effectively, fielded at most only 40 candidates under the banner ofEponym Group[6] and won about 20 seats.[5]
AmongNational Front candidates, four won the election but their credentials was rejected on the grounds such as being "landlord" or "American agent" and they were not allowed to take their seat. Its leaderKarim Sanjabi withdrew in the run-off because of the alleged "irregularities".[2][3]
Under the nameProgressive Revolutionary Candidates list,People's Mujahedin of Iran endorsed 127 nominees nationwide and the official counts gave them as much as 20% of the votes in some constituencies, however they failed to win any seats. Its leaderMassoud Rajavi received 531,943 votes inTehran but was defeated in the run-offs.[7]
Tudeh Party lacked popularity and did poorly,[8] with their highest ranked candidate inTehran receiving only some 100,000 votes. The party was unable to persuade other left-wing groups to unite.[9]
Theconstitution approved in aDecember 1979 referendum provided for a 270-seat Majlis, with five seats reserved for minority groups includingJews,Zoroastrians,Armenians from the north and south of the country and one jointly elected byAssyrians.[10]
As there was no electoral law at the time of the elections, they were held in accordance with a proposal from the Ministry of the Interior and approved by theCouncil of the Revolution.[10] However, the elections were postponed in 23 constituencies inKurdistan province andSistan and Balochistan Province.[10]
137 of the elected MPs were clerics.[11]
| Fraction | % | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independents | 42.59% | 115 | |
| Grand Coalition | 31.48% | 85 | |
| Office for the Cooperation of the People with the President | 12.12% | 33 | |
| Eponym Group | 7.40% | 20 | |
| Total | 100% | 270 | |
| Source:Ettela'at[12] | |||
| Camp | Total seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic Republican Party | 130 | ||
| Supporters ofBanisadr (claimed) | 74 | ||
| Independents, Centrists and Seculars | 38 | ||
| Vacant | 28 | ||
| Total | 242 | ||
| Source: R. S. Thapar[13] | |||
| Fraction | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Islamic Republican Party | 120 | |
| Pro-Banisadr | 33 | |
| Independents | 33 | |
| Freedom Movement | 20 | |
| National Front | 5 | |
| Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan | 2 | |
| Total | 216 | |
| Source: Abrahamian[14] | ||
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic Republican Party | 85 | ||
| Islamic Republican Party allies | 45 | ||
| Independents | 140 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | – | – | |
| Total | 10,874,470 | 100 | 270 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 21,749,000 | 50.00 | – |
| Source: Nohlenet al[4] | |||
