The Iranian government faces historic rejection from the population, who disapprove of the country's regime
Iranians went to the polls this Friday (March 1, 2024) to elect a new parliament. The highlight of the election, however, was the high abstention rate. Only 27% of voters in Iran voted 10 hours after voting began.
In the capital, Tehran, the numbers were even lower: just 12% compliance within 8 hours. Authorities even announced that polling stations would remain open until 10 p.m., two hours later than regular time.
The last general election in 2020 recorded a voter turnout of 42.5%, which was the minimum turnout rate until then. Greater participation is important for the Iranian government, especially to repel accusations that the regime is illegitimate and incapable of providing Iranians with personal freedom and economic progress.
According to local authorities, the reason for extending voting times would be the high voter turnout of the population, which was contradicted by opposition groups, saying it was a “panic measure”.
In Iran's political system, the 88member parliament is tasked with appointing the next supreme leader if incumbent Ali Khamenei dies.
Before the elections, antiregime activists ran campaigns on X (formerly Twitter) to encourage Iranians not to vote to show their dissatisfaction with the current regime. The most popular hashtags were #VOTENoVote (vote if you don't vote) and #ElectionCircus (the election circus). Authorities said 50 people were arrested in West Azerbaijan province for “disrupting public opinion and calling for people not to take part in the elections.”
In the coming days, the regime is likely to have difficulty publishing the results, which would show that less than a third of the country took part in the elections. Government authorities have already removed participation data from some provinces.