The Iranian government announced on Monday (4) that the participation rate in Friday’s legislative elections was 41%, the lowest figure since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
++ Bitcoin hits US$69.2 thousand and surpasses historical record
As a result, around 25 million of the 61 million voters participated, which represents a rate of 41%, said Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi at a press conference.
These were the first elections since September 2022, when there were a series of protests in the country over the death of young Kurdish Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested for allegedly violating the Iranian dress code.
Several moderate or reformist candidates were disqualified from the elections.
Furthermore, the main coalition of reformist parties, the Reformist Front, announced that it would not participate in “meaningless elections” after several of its candidates were disqualified.
++ In historic decision, French parliament makes abortion a right provided for in the Constitution
For these reasons, the main challenge for the government in these elections was precisely participation, and people opposed to the regime campaigned for abstention.
Due to the boycott, the next Parliament will be largely under the control of conservative and ultraconservative parties, government movements led by President Ebrahim Raisi, elected in 2021.
Iranians voted to elect 290 deputies to Parliament and 88 members of the Assembly of Experts, responsible for appointing the supreme guide.
The number of reformist or centrist deputies will be 45, according to estimates from moderate newspapers. Most support a hard line on the Islamic Republic’s values and a firm stance with Western countries, particularly the United States and Israel, which do not maintain diplomatic relations with Iran.
