General·National Regulations

Electoral Regulations of the Sports Federations of Iran - 2017 edition

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Regulations on the eligibility requirements and the procedure for electing the presidents of the sports federations, in force from 3 April 2017 — an instrument of 18 articles and 17 notes setting out the process for electing a federation president from registration through to the issuing of the appointment.

AdoptionFebruary–March 2016 — Council of Deputies of the Ministry of Sport and Youth
In force from3 April 2017 — upon approval by the Minister of Sport and Youth
DraftingDeputy Ministry for Championship and Professional Sport, Ministry of Sport and Youth
Structure18 articles and 17 notes; conflicting regulations repealed

What these regulations determine

Article 1 sets out the definitions and names the organs involved in the process: the general assembly of the federation together with its president and secretary, the Assemblies Affairs Office of the Ministry of Sport and Youth, the Commission for the Verification of Candidates' Eligibility, a secretariat established under the Office for Common Affairs of the Federations, the Appeals Council, which hears objections lodged against decisions of the Commission, and a supervisory board composed of two members of the assembly — one drawn from among the presidents of the provincial associations and one from the remaining members — elected by vote of the assembly. The same article also defines the required majorities: an absolute majority means half plus one of the valid votes of the members present, and a two-thirds majority means the attendance of two-thirds of the members.

The definitions in these regulations are expressly based on the Statutes of the Amateur Sports Federations, adopted by the Council of Ministers on 1 May 2002.

The electoral timetable and the points of objection

Article 4 lists the duties of the secretary of the assembly and, in doing so, fixes the electoral timetable:

  1. 75 days before the end of the termProposal to the president of the assembly of the date on which candidate registration is to open.
  2. Public noticePublication of the registration date on the federation's website and of an announcement in a newspaper of wide circulation.
  3. One working day after the deadline expiresDelivery of the candidates' files to the secretariat of the Commission.
  4. Announcement of the outcomePublication of the final opinion of the Commission and the Appeals Council and of the list of candidates finally found eligible.
  5. 15 days before the voteDispatch of the notice of convocation to the members of the assembly together with the approved list of candidates.

What made these regulations contentious was the tightening of the candidacy requirements, including a condition requiring written endorsement from at least five members of the assembly drawn from among the presidents of the provincial associations and the representatives of the member bodies.

Who this document matters to

Candidates for the presidency of a federation, members of the assemblies and the federations themselves are directly subject to these regulations. For sports lawyers, the most frequently used part is the route of objection: a decision of the Commission for the Verification of Candidates' Eligibility may be challenged before the Appeals Council, and failure to observe the time limits in Article 4 may itself ground a challenge to the validity of the election.