Lawmakers modified the two-round system of the election law. During the open session of Parliament on Wednesday, the second article of the bill to modify the parliamentary election system was approved, with 146 affirmative votes, 23 negative and 8 abstentions, IRNA reported. According to the article, in the first round of the ballot, candidates who secure at least 20% of the votes can be appointed as lawmakers, against the previous threshold of 25%. But if the candidates don’t recieve 20% of the votes, they will go to the second round. In the second round or in the mid-term elections, those candidates who obtain more votes, regardless of the percentage, will be elected as lawmakers. Mohammad Qaseem Osmani, member of the Planning and Budget Commission who supported the revised article said, “In the past, the minimum requirement of votes to be elected was initially 50%, after which it became 33% and then 25%.” In the amended bill, the threshold is as low as 20% which is good for the electorate too,” he said. Meanwhile, lawmakers approved holding the 10th Majlis elections on February 26, 2016 by electronic ballot. The Interior Ministry in coordination with the Guardian Council would be responsible for holding the elections by using digital technology.
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