An election official explained the details of the parliamentary runoff elections due to be held on April 29.
In an interview with IRNA on Tuesday, head of the Election Headquarters, Mohammad Hossein Moqimi, said 138 contenders will vie for 69 vacant Majlis seats in the runoffs.
From the total 207, the second ballot will be held in 56 constituencies across 21 provinces, where the winners of the primary vote could not garner a minimum tally of 25% of the votes. The first round was held on Feb. 26 and 221 hopefuls in 151 constituencies made their way to the 290-member parliament.
Asked whether the second round will be held electronically, Moqimi said the upcoming elections will be held using ballot papers and about 15,800 boxes.
"The Guardians Council has raised objections to the system proposed for conducting elections electronically, which are still in place," he said.
The council is the body tasked with supervising elections, while the Interior Ministry is in charge of conducting elections.
This is while the primary vote was to be held electronically in one-third of the polling stations, but the Guardians Council disapproved the plan due to legal issues and security concerns and canceled electronic voting.
E-voting helps minimize the possibility of irregularities, trim down the costs and reduce the time needed to count the ballots from several days to half a day.
Moqimi urged candidates and their supporters to respect the electoral law, uphold moral principles in their campaigns and cooperate with election officials.
Like the primary polls, hopefuls will have one week before the election day to conduct their electoral campaigns.
