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Everything you need to know about this week's elections in Iran

Thousands of contenders are rushing to make use of Iran's short campaigning window in a contest that will determine crucial support for President Hassan Rouhani's policy efforts.
Iranian women take part in a reformist campaign for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Tehran February 20, 2016. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA  ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY.   - RTX27UFB

Iranian politics are often described as a battle between Reformists and conservatives. But since there are no official political parties in the Islamic Republic of Iran, this view is highly simplistic and sometimes inaccurate. In Iran, major political power brokers align among fluid and sometimes blurred factions and groupings. Major political events often dictate the platform of these factions rather than the reverse.

With an economy stabilized but not yet recovered and many campaign promises still unfulfilled, President Hassan Rouhani is hoping that the Feb. 26 elections brings about a grouping of parliamentary factions that will cooperate with rather than hinder his policies.

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