The registration process for both the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections in Iran has begun, and high-profile candidates, accompanied by their entourage and the media, have been trickling into the Interior Ministry building. After registering on Dec. 21 to run for the Assembly of Experts, President Hassan Rouhani and Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Council, reminded voters of the body's function in electing the supreme leader.

Speaking to reporters after his registration, Rafsanjani said in these elections people will be “marking their fate for years to come.” The Assembly of Experts serve for eight years, and it is possible this body may be required to elect the next supreme leader of Iran. Rafsanjani praised the past performance of the Assembly of Experts, saying that in electing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 1989 they found “the most appropriate person after Imam Khomeini.”

Speaking to reporters, Rouhani said that the supreme leader position is the most important pillar of the Islamic Republic of Iran and that, when it is necessary, the Assembly of Experts is prepared to make sure there is no gap in filling this position.

Rouhani also stressed the importance of having women run in the elections, saying, “The makeup of parliament for us has importance in the world. It doesn’t make a difference if a representative is male or female, but having a significant number of women in parliament has importance for world public opinion.”