1968 Iranian local elections
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The first ever local elections in Iran were held in 1968, to elect the members of city and town municipal councils (Anjoman).[1] The elections were scheduled for the beginning of May, however after being delayed several times, it started on 4 October 1968 for 175 local councils.[2]
 | |||||||||||||||||||||
4 October 1968
| |||||||||||||||||||||
1,068 seats in 173 local Councils | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
The result was a victory for the New Iran Party.[3]
According to Dilip Hiro, 90% of the voters in Tehran abstained, a way to mildly express dissent.[4]
Results
Out of 173 councils up for election, the results for 7 cities were annulled, including Sanandaj, Mehriz, Nahavand and Khansar. The New Iran Party managed to gain majority in 148 councils and in 115 of them, it won all of the seats (including the capital, Tehran). People's Party came up second, gaining control of 12 councils while the Pan-Iranist Party won in 2 councils, in Shushtar and in Khorramshahr. Non-partisan candidates shaped the majority in 4 cities, including Dehloran, Amirkola, Rey and Nur.[5]
| Party | Seats | Share (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Iran Party | 806 | 75.47% | ||
| People's Party | 126 | 11.80% | ||
| Pan-Iranist Party | 20 | 1.87% | ||
| Independents | 116 | 10.86% | ||
| Total | 1,068 | 100% | ||
| Source: Smith[6] and Dishon[5] | ||||
