Candidates must be approved by the conservative-controlled Guardian Council, who disqualified many of the reformist Assembly candidates in 1998. To stand for elections, Assembly candidates must have sufficient knowledge of Islamic theology to qualify as mujtahid. Iran's former president Ayatollah Ali Akhbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has registered as a candidate for the Assembly of Experts and is seen as the leader of the reform camp.

Currenly, Iranian conservatives control the presidency, parliament and most municipal councils following a series of elections where voters expressed their dissatisfaction with the more liberal Khatami government's economic and domestic policies. While the vetting process may severely limit the number of reformist candidates permitted to run for Assembly seats, reformist groups hope to make gains in the municipal elections where a large number of first-time candidates have registered to run The December elections will mark the third time the Islamic Republic has held local council elections.