Iran election watchdog defends decision to bar candidates

Iran's electoral watchdog on Wednesday defended its decision to disqualify thousands of candidates for a parliamentary election in two days, saying it was done in accordance with the law.

The Guardian Council, a powerful body that vets candidates for Iranian elections, also said it expected at least 50 per cent of registered voters to turn out at Friday's election.

Thousands of candidates, most of them moderates and reformists, have been barred from entering the race by the Council, which is dominated by ultra-conservatives.

But its spokesman Abbas Ali Kadkhodaee said the body was "neutral" in its dealings with all political camps.

"The Guardian Council follows the laws and regulations parliament has passed at different times," Kadkhodaee told a televised news conference.

"This time, just like at previous (elections), we have tried to properly follow the law," he said.

"The Council has never had a political view... It approaches political factions with closed eyes.

"What it does judge is the evidence in the cases of the candidates and then it only acts in accordance with the law passed by parliament."