For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, Turkic-speaking lawmakers have formed a bloc in the Iranian parliament. The Faction of Turkic Regions was formed in late October. It has been reported to have 100 members in the 290-seat parliament and is led by Masoud Pezeshkian, who represents the northwestern city of Tabriz and who served as minister of health (2001-2005) under Reformist President Mohammad Khatami.

Controversy has surrounded the formation of this faction since its inception. This has mainly had to do with the stated number of its members. Iran’s election law grants each province a certain number of lawmakers based on its population. In this vein, the main Turkic-speaking provinces and their respective number of members of parliament include West Azerbaijan with 12 parliamentarians, East Azerbaijan with 19, Ardebil with seven and Zanjan with five. Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province as well as the provinces of Gilan and Fars also have Turkic-speaking populations, but the origins and history of these Turkic-speakers are very different from those who reside in the northwest of Iran. While ethnic Persians constitute a slight majority of Iranians, Turkic speakers make up a sizable minority.

Based on these figures, one would expect the newly formed Turkic-speaking faction to have no more than 43 members. So how is it that it counts 100 lawmakers among its members? Zahra Sai, a Tabriz member of parliament and spokeswoman for the faction, has said, “Lawmakers who speak Turkic but are from other cities have also joined the faction.” This is while a member of the group’s board of directors told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “There are really 60 lawmakers in this faction. However, when the news [of the formation of the group] was being transmitted to media outlets, one group member put the figure at around 100 and so this number began circulating in the media.”

One key question is what precisely this faction seeks to achieve. In an interview with ISNA news agency Nov. 6, Pezeshkian, who also serves as deputy speaker, said, “This faction hasn’t done anything in particular yet. Unfortunately, however, some are [already] trying to divert public opinion [about its objectives]. The goal was to have Turkic-speaking MPs come together and pursue their demands of the government within the framework of the law.”