View source for 2003 Iranian local elections

{{Infobox election
| election_name     = City and Village Councils elections
| country           = Iran
| ongoing           = no
| type              = parliamentary
| vote_type         = Popular
| election_date     = {{Start date|2003|2|28|df=y}} 
| previous_election = Iranian local elections, 1999
| previous_year     = 1999
| next_election     = Iranian local elections, 2006
| next_year         = 2006
| seats_for_election= 905 City and 34,205 Village Councils
| registered        = 41,501,783<ref name="IDP">{{Citation|title= 2003 Municipal Councils Election|work = The Iran Social Science Data Portal |publisher = Princeton University|url = https://www.princeton.edu/irandataportal/elections/municipal/2003-municipal-councils-e/|accessdate= 10 August 2015}}</ref>
| turnout           = 49.96%<ref name="IDP"/>
| 1blank            = 
| alliance1         = [[Iranian Principlists|Principlists]]
| last_election1    = 
| swing1            = 
| 1data1            = 
| alliance2         = [[Iranian Reformists|Reformists]]
| last_election2    = 
| swing2            = 
| 1data2            = 
}}
'''Iranian City and Village Councils elections, 2003''' took place in February 2003, the second time local elections for [[City and Village Councils of Iran|city and village councils]] had taken place since being introduced in 1999, and 905 city and 34,205 village councils were up for election.<ref name="Rise of">{{Citation|last1=Ehteshami|first1=Anoushiravan |last2=Zweiri|first2=Mahjoob |title=Iran and the Rise of Its Neoconservatives: The Politics of Tehran's Silent Revolution|publisher=I.B.Tauris|year=2007|isbn=978-0857713674|pages=35–37}}</ref>

By the elections, [[Iranian Principlists|conservatives]] made a comeback and won the majority of the seats nationally as a harbinger of the [[2004 Iranian legislative election|2004 parliamentary elections]], where they won decisively.<ref name="Rise of"/>

The elections demonstrated a [[voter apathy]] among the urban citizens,<ref>{{Citation|last1=Mir-Hosseini|first1=Ziba|editor=Jose Casanova |editor2=Jocelyne Cesari|title=Islam, Gender, and Democracy in Comparative Perspective|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2017|isbn=9780198788553|pages=224}}</ref> as a result of public disappointment with [[Iranian Reformists|reformists]]<ref name="Rise of"/> and constant political infighting which led to the dissolution of the reformist-dominated [[City Council of Tehran]].<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/02/28/iran.elections.reut/|via=CNN|agency=Reuters|date=28 February 2003|access-date=11 June 2017|title=Iran elections 'can heal wounds'}}</ref>

There were 20,235,898 votes cast in this election,<ref name="IDP"/> marking the lowest turnout in 24 years. In [[Tehran]], only 12% of eligible voters participated. Turnout in [[Isfahan]] and [[Mashhad]] showed similar rates, 12% and 15% respectively.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/irans-municipal-elections-a-turning-point-for-the-reform-movement|work=The Washington Institute|date=6 March 2003|access-date=11 June 2017|title=Iran's Municipal Elections: A Turning Point for the Reform Movement?|author=Ray Takeyh|number=721|series=Policywatch}}</ref>

Disqualifications were minimal and below the 10%, to the extent that the banned [[Freedom Movement of Iran]] and [[Council of Nationalist-Religious Activists of Iran|Nationalist–Religious]] activists secured a few candidates as independents.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/123433/2010_11_No30.pdf|publisher=The Middle East Institute|date=November 2010|access-date=11 June 2017|title=Electoral Politics in Iran: Rules of the Arena, Popular Participation, and the Limits of Elastic in the Islamic Republic|author=Nigel Parsons|number=30|journal=Policy Brief}}</ref>

== Campaign ==
[[File:Election in Iran 2003.JPG|thumb|Posters of the candidates]]
In the early 2000s, [[Coordination Council of Islamic Revolution Forces|main camp]] of [[Iranian Principlists|Principlists]] started lights-off works to take the power from [[Iranian Reformists|Reformists]]. They established  an umbrella organization for 2003 elections under the name of [[Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran]]. [[Tehran]]'s election campaign of Builders headed by [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]].<ref>{{Citation|first1=Michael|last1=Axworthy|title=Revolutionary Iran: A History of the Islamic Republic|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2013|pages=373–374}}</ref> In some Provincial capitals, they used other name such as ''Āfṭāb'' ({{langx|fa|آفتاب|lit=Sun}}) or ''Sahand'' ({{langx|fa|سهند}}) for their election campaigns.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Roozi-talab|first1=Mohammad-Hassan|title=A further trust|url=http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/hamnews/1383/830309/world/siasatw.htm#s6147|accessdate=16 June 2017|work=[[Hamshahri]]|issue=3393|date=29 May 2004|location=[[Tehran]]|language=Persian}}</ref> Builders decisively won the election in Tehran.<ref name="etint1"/>

== Results ==
{{see also|2003 Tehran City Council election}}
According to ''Panjereh Weekly'', [[Iranian Principlists|conservatives]] won 64% of the seats nationwide.<ref name="jahan">{{cite news|last1=Torkashvand|first1=Habib|title=Brief look to performance of Principlism|url=http://www.jahannews.com/report/142891/%D8%B2%D9%84%D8%B2%D9%84%D9%87-%D9%81%D8%B6%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1|accessdate=18 June 2017|work=Panjereh weekly|publisher=Jahan News|date=6 November 2010|language=Persian}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="width: 100px;"| City
! [[Iranian Principlists|Principlist]]s
! [[Iranian Reformists|Reformist]]s
! Independents
! Ref
|-
|style="background:{{party color|Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran}};"|
|[[Tehran]]
|{{Composition bar|14|15|hex={{party color|Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran}}|per=1}}
|{{Composition bar|0|15|hex=#02BC00|per=1}}
|{{Composition bar|1|15|hex=gray|per=1}}
!<ref name="etint1">{{cite news|title=Final election results of Islamic city council of Tehran|url=http://www.ettelaat.com/etbarchive/1996-2014/2003/03/03/P1.pdf|work=[[Ettela'at|Ettela'at International]]|issue=2111|date=3 March 2003|location=[[New York City]]|language=Persian|pages=Page 1|accessdate=16 June 2017|issn=1353-8829|archive-date=1 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901203735/http://www.ettelaat.com/etbarchive/1996-2014/2003/03/03/P1.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|style="background:{{party color|Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran}};"|
|[[Shiraz]]
|{{Composition bar|6|11|hex={{party color|Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran}}|per=1}}
|{{Composition bar|0|11|hex=#02BC00|per=1}}
|{{Composition bar|5|11|hex=gray|per=1}}
!<ref>{{cite news|title=Election results of city council of Shiraz|url=http://www.isna.ir/news/8112-03297/%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%8A-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B2|accessdate=16 June 2017|agency=[[Iranian Students News Agency]]|date=18 May 2017|language=Persian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title="Aftab" is leading in Shiraz|url=http://www.farsnews.ir/newstext.php?nn=8112100102|accessdate=16 June 2017|agency=[[Fars News Agency]]|date=1 March 2003|language=Persian}}</ref>
|}
{{Expand section|date=June 2017}}

== Turnout ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Source: ''[[Hamshahri]]''<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Hamshahri|language=Persian|url=http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/hamnews/1381/811214/world/intep.htm|date=5 March 2003|number=2997|title=Tehran, the lowest turnout}}</ref>
!Province
!Turnout
|-
|[[Qom Province]]||30%
|-
|[[Isfahan Province]]||34%
|-
|[[Yazd Province]]||42%
|-
|[[Sistan and Baluchestan Province|Sistan & Baluchestan Province]]||68%
|-
|[[Fars Province]]||46%
|-
|[[East Azerbaijan Province]]||46%
|-
|[[West Azerbaijan Province]]||61%
|-
|[[Tehran Province]]||23%
|-
|[[Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province|Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari Province]]||62%
|-
|[[Ilam Province]]||66%
|-
|[[Khorasan Province]]||54%
|-
|[[Zanjan Province]]||62%
|-
|[[Kerman Province]]||60%
|-
|[[Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province|Kohgiluyeh & Boyerahmad Province]]||69%
|-
|[[Golestan Province]]||62%
|-
|[[Hormozgan Province]]||66%
|-
|[[Mazandaran Province]]||66%
|-
!Total!!49%
|}

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Iranian elections}}

[[Category:Local elections in Iran|2003]]
[[Category:Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]]
[[Category:2003 elections in Iran]]
[[Category:February 2003 events in Iran]]