Iran International:

Behrouz Turani

Many Iranians may have turned away from the ballot box in recent elections, but establishment factions are taking next year’s local polls as seriously as ever.

For insiders, the May 2026 vote is another battleground for influence, especially in the capital Tehran where the council elects the mayor, one of Iran’s most powerful local officials and a common stepping stone to higher office.

Many former councillors have gone on to parliament or cabinet roles; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad famously rose from the mayor’s office to the presidency in 2005.

In the last council vote in Tehran, turnout was just under 25 percent. The highest-voted candidate, Mehdi Chamran, currently leading the capital's council, secured barely five percent of all eligible voters.

While many in Iran say votes are meaningless and decisions are made elsewhere, factions continue to fight over roles that may not shape national policy but offer access—lawful or otherwise—to influence and resources.

‘Open to rigging’

Conservatives have been quick to question both the government’s readiness and its motives for introducing a new voting model.

Parviz Sorouri, the septuagenarian deputy chairman of the Tehran City Council, warned of “possible rigging,” citing the Interior Ministry’s lack of capacity for managing a “complicated” electoral system.

Despite his criticism, Sorouri sounded upbeat about the potential for more consolidation of power at local elections—where vetting is less harsh and eager independents may slip through the net.

“(The new system) could eliminate useless political parties that spring up overnight and disappear just as quickly,” he told the Didban Iran website.

If the new system works, it could eventually replace Iran’s long-standing winner-takes-all model, allocating seats according to parties’ share of the vote and making local councils more representative.

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