• “We have decided that in order to attain some of our demands and those of women in Iran, we need to form a new coalition. The purpose of the coalition is strictly the presentation of women’s demands and not the specific support or not support of any presidential candidate.”
  – statement from the Seminar on the Election Demands of the Women’s Movement

  Prominent women activists, journalists, religious leaders and former parliamentarians announced the formation of a new coalition that calls upon the presidential candidates to present specific proposals to ensure the equality of women under the law. Among their demands are that Iran join the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), revise discriminatory legislation and amend the constitution to provide explicitly for gender equality. The coalition’s leaders include prominent women’s activist and presidential candidate Azam Taleghani, although the coalition has no plans to endorse any candidate.

  The coalition announcement comes at a time when reformist candidates are increasingly competing for women’s votes. Mehdi Karroubi reiterated last week that the path to greater freedoms for women is through political participation and again promised to appoint women to his cabinet if elected. However, he has refrained from making further commitments, saying that the president has limited authority over many issues, including women’s rights. Karroubi may be wary of making too many promises, as women were disappointed that former president Mohammad Khatami was unable to deliver the full extent of social liberties promised during his campaigns. The other leading reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi has chosen to give his wife Dr. Zahra Rahnavard a prominent place in his campaign. Rahnavard, a former advisor to Khatami, attends all of Mousavi’s campaign events, speaks on policy issues and actively campaigns for her husband. Her active presence on the campaign trail has garnered a lot of positive attention among reformist women in recent weeks.

• “If I am elected President, I will reduce the period of mandatory military from two years to one year.”
  – conservative presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai quoted in the right-leaning newspaper Tabnak, May 2

  “I had great doubts about Mousavi and had to make sure he knew our needs and demands and cared about them as much as Khatami does. I am here today to show my respect for Khatami and his choice as well as my support for Mousavi’s presidency.”
  – student attending Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s April 29th rally in Tehran, as quoted in The National, April 30

  As Mohsen Rezai hit the campaign trail, the leader of the pragmatic conservative coalition targeted Iranian youth voters, who are viewed as a key electoral demographic for the upcoming elections. The proposal to reduce mandatory military service was aimed at young men, many of whom are reluctant to join the armed forces, and came as a bit of a surprise given Rezai’s 16 years of service to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Despite his overtures, Rezai will have a tough time competing against reformists for youth votes. Earlier in the week, reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, with former president Mohammad Khatami at his side, spoke to a gathering of several thousand youth. While voters under the age of 30 had expressed initial reservations about Mousavi given his two-decade absence from politics, the strong backing of Khatami has quickly won over this constituency. Mousavi’s campaign statements in support of social freedoms and economic development have particularly resonated with young voters.

• President Ahmadinejad Registers for Second Term
  – Press TV headline, May 8

  Rezai 1st Key Figure to Register for Election
  – Press TV headline, May 8

  Both incumbent President Ahmadinejad and his conservative competitor Rezai officially registered their candidacies on May 8. The official candidate registration period opened on May 5, with Mohsen Hadi Najafbadi, a 45-year-old man from Sistan Baluchestan, reportedly the first to register. As of Friday, 170 candidates, including 11 women, were formally registered. While the Ministry of Interior reported that more than 1,000 Iranians had registered to run via its website, candidates or their designee must register in person with the Ministry for their candidacy to be official. To be eligible to register, candidates must have a political and religious background; be an Iranian citizen of the Shi’a faith; believe in the principles of the Islamic Republic; and be at least 18 years of age.

  The registration period will run through May 9. The Guardian Council will then review the list of candidates and announce on May 20 which are qualified to compete in the election. In 2005, more than 1,000 Iranians registered as candidates, including 89 women; the Guardian Council only approved eight, none of them women.

• TV to hold live debates between presidential candidates
  – Mehr News Agency headline, May 6

  Amid allegations that the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) television network’s coverage has been biased toward Ahmadinejad’s re-election campaign, the IRIB announced that it would organize and broadcast live television debates among the candidates. Members of parliament have been calling for the IRIB to maintain neutrality during the elections, and Mousavi sent a letter to the head of the IRIB protesting that the network had turned “into a private channel for one of the candidates.” Rezai sent a similar letter to the IRIB, and he and reformist candidate Karroubi had both proposed the IRIB host presidential debates to give the candidates equal airtime and help voters make informed choices. While Mousavi initially opposed holding debates, he has agreed to participate if the other leading presidential contenders agree to a debate. Ahmadinejad has expressed a similar willingness.

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Published on May 8, 2009