has ever served on the Guardian Council (body mandated to bring parliamentary resolutions in line with Shari’a and the Constitution and to oversee elections and vet candidates),55 nor on the Expediency Council (body which serves as the Supreme Leader's advisory arm, formulating "general policies for the state" and overseeing the implementation of those policies on the behalf of the Supreme Leader).56 There are no legal restrictions on the ability of women to vote or become a candidate for parliament or the City and Village Councils. However, the Guardian Council is known to arbitrarily disqualify women candidates from running for election. For example, in the run-up to the 2020 elections, the Guardian Council disqualified 60 percent of female candidates.57 Election law designates the Guardian Council as arbitrator for complaints related to election process or candidate vetting, but the Guardian Council is the body responsible for the impugned decisions. There are currently no female ministers in the government’s cabinet. No provincial governors are women. The government recently appointed three women as “county governor” out of 430 positions across the country.58 The administration appointed women to 13 out of 1,058 district governors, mostly in small provinces across the country. Women currently occupy only 5.8 percent (16 out of 290) of parliamentary seats in the new parliament elected in February 2020.59 Despite these positive steps, the structural and institutionalized obstacles limit the access of women to the political life who, in practice, still face widespread discrimination to participate in the political life.60 In light of the above, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has not prevented discrimination against women, as well religious and ethnic minorities, in all spheres of public life and services, and to protect their freedoms to freely associate and express themselves. Recommendation Status: This recommendation has NOT been implemented. 55 In addition, the Guardian Council is responsible for overseeing elections and vetting candidates. The body, whose members are all appointed by the Supreme Leader, was initially established as an arbitration body between parliament and the Guardian Council. 57 See more: All Human Rights for All in Iran, Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan – Geneva (KMMK-G) Association for the Human Rights Of The Azerbaijani People In Iran (AHRAZ), Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC), OutRight International, Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Small Media, Impact Iran, Subbmission to the Human Rights Committee, 129th session, 2020, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_NGO_IRN_42317_E.pdf 58 Executive rankings at the provincial level: 1) Governor, 2) County Governor, 3) District Governor, 4) Village President. 59 See more: All Human Rights for All in Iran, Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan – Geneva (KMMK-G) Association for the Human Rights Of The Azerbaijani People In Iran (AHRAZ), Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC), OutRight International, Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Small Media, Impact Iran, Subbmission to the Human Rights Committee, 129th session, 2020, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/IRN/INT_CCPR_NGO_IRN_42317_E.pdf 60 Minority Rights Group https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MRG_CFR_Iran_EN_Sept191.pdf 56 7