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1980 Iranian legislative election

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Field	Value
election_name	1980 Iranian legislative election
flag_image	Flag of Iran (1964).svg
country	Iran
type	parliamentary
ongoing	no
previous_election	1975 Iranian legislative election
previous_year	1975
next_election	1984 Iranian legislative election
next_year	1984
seats_for_election	All 270 seats to the National Consultative Assembly
136 seats are needed for a majority
election_date	14 March and 9 May 1980
registered	20,758,391
turnout	52.14%
image1	[[File:Mohammad Beheshti 1980.jpg	150x150px]]
leader1	Mohammad Beheshti
party1	{{collapsible list
titlestyle	font-weight:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left;
title	Parties
alliance1	Grand Coalition
leaders_seat1	Did not Stand
seats1	85
percentage1	31.48%
image2	[[File:Abolhassan Banisadr portrait 1980 1.jpg	150x150px]]
leader2	Abolhassan Banisadr
party2	—
alliance2	President Office
leaders_seat2	Did not Stand
seats2	33
percentage2	12.12%
image4	[[File:PM Bazargan photographed during a Television program - 1979.jpg	150x150px]]
leader4	Mehdi Bazargan
party4	—
alliance4	Eponym Group
leaders_seat4	Tehran, Rey and Shemiranat
seats4	20
percentage4	7.40%
image5	[[File:KarimSanjabi.jpg	150x150px]]
leader5	Karim Sanjabi
party5	{{collapsible list
titlestyle	font-weight:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left;
title	Parties
alliance5	National Front
leaders_seat5	Kermanshah (withdrew)
seats5	4
percentage5	1.48%
colour1	000000
colour2	FE8002
colour4	FFD703
colour5
title	Head of government
before_election	Abolhassan Banisadr (Temporarily, as First Secretary of the Council of the Islamic Revolution)
before_party	Independent
after_election	Mohammad-Ali Rajai
after_party	Islamic Republican Party
posttitle	Elected Prime Minister
map_image	1980 Iranian legislative_election.svg
map_caption	Composition of the Assembly following the election

136 seats are needed for a majority | Islamic Republican Party | Combatant Clergy Association | Islamic Coalition Society | Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization | Islamic Association of Teachers | Iran Party | Party of the Iranian People Parliamentary elections were held in Iran on 14 March 1980, with a second round on 9 May. They were the first elections to the Majlis since the overthrow of the Shah, and were contested to a considerable degree on a party basis.

It resulted in a victory for the Islamic Republican Party, which won 85 of the 270 seats, whilst its allies won a further 45. The party, joined by smaller Islamist groups in the Grand coalition was a highly organized force and put up candidates in most constituencies and dominated the campaigns, especially in the provinces.

President Abolhassan Banisadr and his followers, presented dozens of candidates in Tehran and provinces under the list Office for the Cooperation of the People with the President.

The Freedom Movement of Iran which failed to organize effectively, fielded at most only 40 candidates under the banner of Eponym Group and won about 20 seats.

Among National Front candidates, four won the election but their credentials was rejected on the grounds such as being "landlord" or "American agent" and they were not allowed to take their seat. Its leader Karim Sanjabi withdrew in the run-off because of the alleged "irregularities".

Under the name Progressive Revolutionary Candidates list, People's Mujahedin of Iran endorsed 127 nominees nationwide and the official counts gave them as much as 20% of the votes in some constituencies, however they failed to win any seats. Its leader Massoud Rajavi received 531,943 votes in Tehran but was defeated in the run-offs.

Tudeh Party lacked popularity and did poorly, with their highest ranked candidate in Tehran receiving only some 100,000 votes. The party was unable to persuade other left-wing groups to unite.

Electoral system

The constitution approved in a December 1979 referendum provided for a 270-seat Majlis, with five seats reserved for minority groups including Jews, Zoroastrians, Armenians from the north and south of the country and one jointly elected by Assyrians.

As there was no electoral law at the time of the elections, they were held in accordance with a proposal from the Ministry of the Interior and approved by the Council of the Revolution. However, the elections were postponed in 23 constituencies in Kurdistan province and Sistan and Balochistan Province.

Results

137 of the elected MPs were clerics. ;Ettela'at newspaper (1980)

Fraction	%	Seats
Independents	42.59%	115
Grand Coalition	31.48%	85
Office for the Cooperation of the People with the President	12.12%	33
Eponym Group	7.40%	20
Total	100%	270
Source: Ettela'at

;Thapar (1980)

Camp	Total seats	Total		242
Islamic Republican Party	130
Supporters of Banisadr (claimed)	74
Independents, Centrists and Seculars	38
Vacant	28
Source: R. S. Thapar

;Abrahamian (1989)

Fraction	Seats
Islamic Republican Party	120
Pro-Banisadr	33
Independents	33
Freedom Movement	20
National Front	5
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan	2
Total	216
Source: Abrahamian

;Nohlen et al (2001)

Party	Votes	%	Seats
Islamic Republican Party			85
Islamic Republican Party allies			45
Independents			140
Invalid/blank votes		–	–
Total	10,874,470	100	270
Registered voters/turnout	21,749,000	50.00	–
Source: Nohlen et al

Notes

References

"1980 Parliamentary Election". Princeton University.
(2001). "Elections in Asia: A Data Handbook". [[Oxford University Press]].
(13 December 2011). "ELECTIONS ii. UNDER THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC, 1979-92". Bibliotheca Persica Press.
Houchang E. Chehabi. (1990). "Iranian Politics and Religious Modernism: The Liberation Movement of Iran Under the Shah and Khomeini". I.B.Tauris.
(1996). "Parliamentary Politics in Revolutionary Iran: The Institutionalization of Factional Politics". University Press of Florida.
Houchang E. Chehabi. (1990). "Iranian Politics and Religious Modernism: The Liberation Movement of Iran Under the Shah and Khomeini". I.B.Tauris.
Ervand Abrahamian. (1989). "Radical Islam: the Iranian Mojahedin". I.B.Tauris.
Muriel Atkin. (1983). "Soviet Relations with the Islamic Republic". [[SAIS Review]].
Aryeh Yodfat. (2012). "The Soviet Union and Revolutionary Iran (RLE Iran D)". Taylor & Francis.
[http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/IRAN_1980_E.PDF Iran] IPU
James W Heslep [http://web.wm.edu/so/monitor/issues/07-1/5-heslep.htm The Decline of Clerics in the Iranian Majles] {{Webarchive. link. (12 May 2011)
"مرکز اسناد انقلاب اسلامی – انتخابات اولین دوره مجلس شورای اسلامی".
R. S. Thapar. (1980). "Iranian Parliamentary Elections: A Setback to President Bani Sadr". Strategic Analysis.
Ervand Abrahamian. (1989). "Radical Islam: the Iranian Mojahedin". I.B.Tauris.

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