According to a Farsi report by Khabar Online News Agency, the head of Iran’s Elections Headquarters, Ali Asghar Ahmadi, declared that over 18,000 Iranian women have signed up to compete in Iran’s City and Village Councils Elections.

City and Village Councils are local councils elected by public vote in all Iranian cities and villages. Council members in each city or village are elected by direct public vote to a 4-year term. According to Article 7 of the Iranian Constitution, these local councils together with the Iranian Parliament are decision-making and administrative organs of the state.

The councils are in charge of electing mayors, supervising the activities of municipalities, and study the social, cultural, educational, health, economic and welfare requirements of their constituencies.

They also play a significant role in the management of urban affairs and are responsible for the planning and coordination of people’s participation in the implementation of social, economic, constructive, cultural, educational and other welfare affairs.

The need for the greater presence of women in Iran’s City and Village Councils and participation in the urban decision-making processes has heightened over the past few years more than ever. This increased need has led to a wave of efforts in the social media to encourage more women to register for the elections.

This greater interest in the stronger presence of women in Iran’s City and Village Councils was due to the failure of the representatives in the previous terms of Iran’s City and Village Councils to address women’s problems properly.

In the previous terms, women held a very small number of seats in the councils compared to the men. The difference between the number of men and women applicants for competing in the upcoming Iran’s City and Village Councils elections is still quite significant, with men constituting 93.7 percent of the individuals and women 6.3 percent of them.

Nevertheless, women only accounted for 5.4 percent of the applicants in the previous elections. Thus the 0.9-percent increase which is good news.

Iran will simultaneously hold the 12th presidential election and the 5th City and Village Councils Elections on May 19