Candidate registrations for parliamentary elections hit record high

Nearly 49,000 people filed paperwork seeking to run as candidates during a one-week registration period that ended on Sunday, the ministry website said.

That number is more than three times the 16,000 registrations filed in the last election in 2020, when voter turnout was its lowest since 1979, with just over 42% of eligible voters casting ballots.

Some 14% of submissions were from women, an increase from 12% in 2020. About 250 current members of the 290-seat parliament also registered.

Authorities in the coming weeks will verify the documents filed by would-be candidates. The monthslong vetting process will conclude in late October when verified hopefuls will be allowed to apply for candidacy. Each candidate must be finally approved by the Constitutional Council.