TEHRAN — Iran's state broadcaster, the IRIB, launched 200 television channels dedicated to campaigning and coverage of the country's upcoming key elections for parliament and the powerful Assembly of Experts slated for March 1.
The channels were inaugurated by hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi at a televised ceremony in Tehran on Friday and are set to run during the campaigning period ahead of the elections.
Broadcasting programs with a local focus from across all 31 Iranian provinces, the TV networks will host candidates nationwide for debates and will have their campaign videos and documentaries aired for a certain fee, according to the IRIB.
The Iranian parliament is currently dominated by powerful conservatives close to President Raisi and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Assembly of Experts, a fully clerical body, is a more hard-line institution in charge of supervising and appointing the country's supreme leader.
