Low turnout in Iran’s election, a slap for Supreme Leader Khamenei
About 41 per cent of 61 million eligible voters cast their ballots for the 12th parliament of the Islamic Republic and the 88 seats of the Assembly of Experts, the lowest turnout since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Pro-reform groups, who did not take part in the election, praise former President Mohammad Khatami for refusing to vote.
Tehran (AsiaNews) – As predicted, elections to the Iranian parliament (Majlis) and the Assembly of Experts, the body that will pick the successor of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, saw a record low turnout with just over 40 per cent.
This is the lowest since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979, a sign of disaffection with the regime and the absence of moderate and reformist camps since their candidates were largely denied the right to run.
Three days after the 1 March elections, no official results have been announced yet while ballots continue to be counted.
Even the turnout has not been made public, but the most optimistic estimate – cited by IRNA, Iran’s official news agency, puts it at around 41 per cent of the 61 million eligible voters, the lowest figure ever recorded.
In this election cycle, moderate or reformist candidates failed to qualify while the country continues to be in the grips of a deep economic crisis exacerbated by international sanctions over the regime’s nuclear programme.
In the previous elections in 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the turnout was 42.57 per cent despite the health emergency and lockdowns.
A record 15,200 people applied this time to run for the 290-seat parliament, while 144 were seeking a seat on the 88-member Assembly of Experts, a body of recognised religious scholars, which so far has included only men.
The pro-reform newspaper Etemad reported that turnout was low in large cities, but closer to previous levels in smaller cities and the countryside.
The number of blank ballots is reportedly high as well.
In the capital, Tehran, the turnout was about 25 per cent according to press sources with hard-line right-wing candidates taking 12 of the 30 seats up for grabs, while some will be decided in a runoff election in April or May.
In a warning to the authorities, pro-government newspaper Iran Daily called the low turnout "a wake-up call" that should prompt them to "redouble their efforts" to boost their base.
Pro-reform Ham Mihan noted that "the soul of the elections was lost" while the turnout was "far from victorious", which could have "political repercussions" for Iran’s political system.
According to the Associated Press (AP), hard-line and radical groups won at least 200 of the 245 seats already decided. The other 45 Majlis are considered moderate, conservative, or independent.
Overall, only 11 women were elected, down from the previous parliament, which had 16.
In the moderate and pro-reform camps, former President Hassan Rouhani voted despite being excluded from the Assembly of Experts, where he had sat 24 years.
By contrast, dissidents and regime opponents note that another former president, the reformist Mohammad Khatami, chose not to vote, saying that these were “very far from free and competitive elections".
Some see his decision to boycott the poll as a victory; others question his motivations, noting that he went against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who said that voting was a “religious duty”.
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25/02/2016 17:41
