Zahrallahian is the first woman presidential candidate in Iran
Hamed Mahmoud A researcher specializing in Iranian and Gulf affairs
Zahrallahian is the first woman presidential candidate in Iran
Hamed Mahmoud
A researcher specializing in Iranian and Gulf affairs
hamednilenews2020@gmail.com
Iranian MP Zahrallahian is the only woman who applied to run for president two days ago, becoming the first female presidential candidate in the country’s history.
As a staunch supporter of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, she would likely become the first woman ever allowed to run if approved by the Guardian Council, which vets all potential candidates.
The Iranian elections are scheduled to be held on June 28, following the death of former President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month.
Zahrat Al-Lahiyan
A doctor and former member of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, she was a member of Parliament twice.
It also previously called for the execution of demonstrators during the protests that took place in the country two years ago following the killing of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, after she was arrested by the morality police.
The Iranian Constitution does not prohibit women from running for presidential elections, but the Guardian Council ruled in previous elections to prevent women from running for the position of President of the Republic. Article 115 of the Iranian Constitution stipulates that the presidential candidate must be a “political man.”
The phrase “men” led to widespread controversy over its interpretation, as most experts translate the word “men” in Persian as “personalities,” and despite repeated requests sent to the Guardian Council to provide an explicit clarification of the term, this has not yet happened.
After registering her name on the list of presidential election candidates, Zahrallahian told reporters: “Dear Iran has gone through various stages of ups and downs in various fields, but at this stage I am proud of the people of the country.”
She added, “My government’s motto is “Sound government, sound economy, sound society.”
Explaining, “Entering this competitive arena means victory.”
Zahrallahian, born in 1968, is from Kermanshah Province, western Iran. She is an Iranian doctor and politician. She currently works at the Academy of Medical Sciences as head of the Department of Foresight and Endoscopy.
Al-Lahiyan was elected as a member of the Iranian Parliament between 2008 and 2012, and then between 2020 and 2024. She is a former member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Shura Council.
In 2009, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed appointing Allahian as Minister of Social Welfare and Social Security, but she rejected the nomination, citing the opposition of senior clerics to women assuming ministerial positions.
In 2021, Zahrallahian led the Iranian delegation to the capital, Damascus, to monitor the presidential elections in Syria, which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won. Like other Iranian conservatives, Lallahian supports mandatory hijab rules.
She was one of 227 lawmakers who signed a letter calling for the execution of protesters in the wake of the 2022 uprising, while serving as a member of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.
Canada imposed sanctions on her for supporting the death penalty for demonstrators who participated in the “Women, Life and Freedom” movement at the time.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie announced sanctions against Al-Lahiyan on International Women’s Day last March, saying that she and Masoud Dorosti, the CEO of the Tehran metro system, “used their positions of influence to implement repressive measures against women and girls in Iran.”
