Iran’s parliamentary elections are drawing near. Parliamentary elections have a special significance in provinces and small towns, unlike big cities where presidential elections are regarded as the more consequential. This is due to closer and stronger family and local ties in provinces, as a result of which people try to send off their own relatives and acquaintances to the parliament.
The general understanding of the role of an MP is misguided, especially in provinces. They assume their MP is out there to get them what is their rightful share of the national funds and facilities, which is in many cases what their MPs actually do. But in fact the real duty of the members of the country’s parliament is to make laws, and in doing so, MPs are public representatives acting on behalf of all Iranians. Legislative process has its own set of rules and regulations, and the parliament’s performance should not be assessed based on the number of laws approved.
Parliament is the most notable demonstration of the influence of public will on the country’s ruling system, and reinforcing the parliament could be the first step in reinforcing the share of people in the shaping up the government.
The scale of public participation in this round of elections will be determined by two factors. People will participate if they are confident in the belief that their parliamentary representative will have the authority to act, and if their favored candidates are among those selected as eligible for the electoral campaign.
And, to look at the issue from the other side, the current state of affairs makes it imperative for the government to have a solid base within the national borders. This should be one reason to facilitate public participation in the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Iran.
