Iranian women cast their votes at a polling station during elections to choose members of parliament and a major religious body, in Tehran on March 1, 2024.
ata kinari | France Press agency
Turnout in Iran's parliamentary elections, seen as a test of the religious establishment's legitimacy, appears to have reached a historic low of around 41%, according to unofficial reports carried by state media on Saturday.
The elections followed anti-government protests in 2022-2023 that escalated into some of the worst political unrest in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and coincided with growing frustration over the economic woes plaguing the sanctions-hit country.
Partial results appear to show that hardliners intend to maintain their grip on parliament, while moderates and prominent conservatives stayed away from Friday's election, which reformists described as neither free nor fair because it was essentially a contest between hardliners and low-profile conservatives loyal to Islamic law. Revolutionary ideals.
Mohammad Khatami, Iran's first reformist president, was among the critics who did not vote on Friday.
In a statement shared by her family with Reuters, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and women's rights advocate Narges Mohammadi described the elections as “sham.”
The Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency said that unofficial reports indicate that the participation rate exceeded 25 million, or about 41% of eligible voters.
Al-Hamshahri newspaper described the voter turnout as a “$25 million slap” to calls to boycott the elections, in a headline on its front page alongside a picture of a ballot card hitting US President Joe Biden in the face.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Iran's “enemies” – a term he often uses to refer to the United States and Israel – of trying to create despair among Iranian voters.
“The Silent Majority” was the front-page headline in Ham Meehan, a pro-reform newspaper, which estimated turnout at around 40%.
The Ministry of Interior may announce the official participation rate later on Saturday. If the participation rate is confirmed, it will be the lowest since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979.
Iranian voter turnout fell to 42.5% in the 2020 parliamentary elections from about 62% in 2016.
More than 15,000 candidates competed for the 290 seats in parliament on Friday. The elections coincide with a vote on the 88-seat Assembly of Experts, an influential body tasked with choosing the successor to the 84-year-old Khamenei.
Today, Saturday, the Ministry of Interior announced the re-election of hardline President Ibrahim Raisi to the Assembly of Experts, with 82.5% of the votes.
Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist who was elected president in landslide victories in 2013 and 2017 and promised to reduce Iran's diplomatic isolation, was barred from running, sparking criticism from moderates.
