As predicted, Iran’s regime orchestrated a farcical and ludicrous election spectacle that has since unraveled into a global scandal. Despite the fervent pleas of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials, the Iranian populace resolutely demonstrated their national will by boycotting this charade, making it clear that their ultimate vote is for the overthrow of this religious tyranny.
Despite repeated entreaties for participation in this recession circus, Khamenei resorted once more to urging and pleading for votes.
Desperately, in announcement number 23, the regime’s election headquarters implored eligible individuals not to delay visiting polling stations until the day’s end.
In announcement number 24, the headquarters even declared that individuals holding birth certificates without photos could also partake in the elections.
This, despite the earlier announcement in notice 22 that, in addition to birth certificates, voting was also permissible with national cards, passports, driver’s licenses, and mandatory service cards. Moreover, the failure to stamp birth certificates after voting could be interpreted as tacit approval for regime officials to cast multiple votes.
The regime even attempted to introduce a new list, the so-called “Voice of the People,” outside the realm of its principlist and reformist factions, in a bid to entice participation.
Even the disqualified former regime president, Hassan Rouhani, failed to persuade people to engage in the elections, while encouraging them to cast their “protesting vote.”
Rouhani stated, “The significance of the people’s vote and the authority of the ballot box should be increasingly emphasized, and any attempts to undermine the ballot box and dismantle the republic from the system should be protested against. There is no avenue for protest other than the ballot box. We must find a way to make the protest vote the voice of the Iranian people. Despite my disqualification, I still believe in participating in the elections.”
According to reports, the buying and selling of votes emerged as one of the most lucrative businesses in this sham election. In some cities, candidates purchased birth certificates or votes for sums ranging between 500,000 and 1,000,000 tomans. Another tactic employed by the regime was to intensify pressure on prisoners to vote.
Nevertheless, these tactics failed to confer legitimacy upon the bankrupt religious fascism. The conspicuous silence at polling stations across cities and metropolises necessitated the regime’s propaganda machinery to shuttle its operatives from one polling station to another in a bid to fabricate a veneer of activity for television broadcasts.
A meticulous analysis conducted by supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from various polling stations vividly illustrates the regime’s failure in this election.
During these investigations, 1,941 polling stations across 243 cities in 31 provinces, encompassing large, medium, and small stations in Tehran, as well as cities, villages, and different regions throughout the country, were continuously monitored from 8:00 AM to 24:00 PM to ensure the accuracy of observations.
The findings of this observation and monitoring endeavor reveal that the total number of voters across 1,941 branches amounted to 156,597 people, averaging 81 voters per branch. Consequently, the projected number of voters across 59,000 branches nationwide stands at approximately 4,779,000 people.
Even officials within the regime expressed disappointment with the election turnout. A former regime MP remarked:
“With so many ambiguities and contradictions, I tucked my birth certificate into my bag to cast my vote. Yet, no matter how many times I scrutinized the list of candidates, I couldn’t identify a trustworthy individual whose views aligned with mine.
“With all the trappings of elections in the Middle East and closed societies, I once again realized that without a robust party system, the parliamentary system proves ineffective. I returned my birth certificate to its place and resumed editing my book on the Russian army.”
From this, we can readily discern the plight of the people: a nation where approximately 90 percent live below the poverty line, a nation whose cries for freedom have been brutally suppressed and silenced.
This election truly became the arena for a showdown between the regime and the people. Following the nationwide uprising of 2022, Khamenei desperately sought to salvage the regime’s waning legitimacy, hence his incessant appeals for participation.
