The report Sunday by IRNA quotes Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar as saying the voting will take place March 2, 2012.

Plans for the election could be a springboard for protests by Iran’s opposition after facing a relentless crackdown since unrest following the disputed 2009 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

But it also may be a test of strength for Ahmadinejad, who has been challenged by the current parliament.

The last parliamentary election was in 2008 when conservatives won a majority of seats in the 275-seat chamber.