The cabinet approved in its Sunday meeting the implementation of electronic voting in metropolises for the two upcoming elections, IRNA reported.
During the meeting, which was chaired by President Hassan Rouhani, the interior minister submitted a report to the cabinet on the mechanism for holding electronic elections.
Pointing to parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections which will be held concurrently next year, Rouhani said the government has been considering e-voting since a long time ago.
He referred to the successful pilot implementation of e-voting in some constituencies in the ninth parliamentary election in 2012 and said it is important to get prepared for conducting e-voting considering the experience of other countries as well as past domestic experience. "Holding elections in the best possible manner is one of the most important political responsibilities of any administration," he stressed.
Noting that the Islamic Republic system is based on the Constitution, democracy and public vote, the president advised the organizers of the elections to make the required preparations for the desirable conduct of elections.
The parliamentary election for the 10th Islamic Consultative Assembly, or the Majlis, will be held on 26 February 2016 coinciding with the election of the Assembly of Experts. It will be the first time that members of the two bodies are elected simultaneously.
MP Backs Initiative
The chairman of the Majlis Councils Committee said online election systems and simultaneous announcement of election results minimize the possibility of irregularities and accelerate the process of counting ballots. Amir Khojasteh also said through enhanced transparency, e-voting decreases the costs of elections. The lawmaker said the Majlis Councils Committee held intensive discussions over e-voting before it was approved by the government.
