The supreme leader of Iran, Ali Jameneicalled this Friday to vote in the parliamentary elections to “disappoint the enemies”, in the first elections in the country since the protests unleashed by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
“Many people around the world, whether ordinary people or politicians and authorities, have set their eyes on Iranabout you, to see what you do in these elections,” he said Yemeni in a message addressed to Iranians after casting their vote a few minutes after the opening of the polling stations, in an event televised by Persian television.
“Make our friends happy and disappoint our enemies. Please vote,” said the religious, who in recent days has appealed on several occasions to Iranians to vote given the popular indifference.
Iranian authorities often use the term “enemies” to generally refer to USA, Israel and to the opponents.
Some 60,000 polling stations opened their doors at 08:00 local time (4:30 GMT) and will remain open for 10 hours throughout the country, where more than 61 million people are called to the polls, the official agency reported. IRNA.
Around 15,200 candidates – 1,713 of them women – are competing for the 290 seats in Parliament, while 144 clerics are running for the 88 seats in the Assembly of Experts, the body that elects the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic in the event of a vacancy.
This body is elected every eight years and the result of these elections could have great importance in the future of the Islamic Republicgiven the high age of Yemeni84 years old.
Electoral process in Iran
The elections are dominated by the conservative bloc, which now has a parliamentary majority, after the disqualification of numerous reformist candidates, who have questioned the freedom of the elections and, in some cases, called for a boycott.
The electoral process is marked by a certain indifference and apathy among the electorate due to the poor economic situation of the country, the disqualification of numerous reformist candidates and political detachment, which was accentuated by the protests unleashed by the death of Believe after being arrested for not wearing her veil properly.
For months, young Iranians protested in the streets of the country shouting “women, life, freedom”, asking for freedoms and the end of the Islamic Republic, in protests that died out after the death of some 500 protesters at the hands of the security forces. security.
Polls place participation between 30% and 41%, compared to the 2020 legislative elections in which 42% voted, the lowest level in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Hundreds of activists, politicians, student associations, professors, as well as the Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, which considers the boycott “a moral obligation for Iranians who love freedom and seek justice.” EFE
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