On February 18, the Iranian people will cast ballots in the country?s sixth parliamentary election since the 1979 revolution. The polling itself has dominated public and private debate in Iran for months. This is the latest round in a protracted battle over the nature of the Islamic government that intensified with the election of Mohammad Khatami to the country’s presidency in 1997.
The elections are expected to change the makeup of the parliament, or Majlis, and to return the former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, to a position of prominence. More importantly, they will serve as a bellwether for the future of reform within the Islamic Republic. Brookings invites you to hear three experts discuss the election results and analyze their significance for the future Iranian politics and the prospects of US-Iran relations.