Clashes and Sporadic Arrests Amid Elections; Users Report 'Empty' Polling Stations

As the 12th round of the Islamic Consultative Assembly elections and the 6th Assembly of Experts elections took place on Friday, March 2, and predictions of low voter turnout emerged, judicial actions against opponents of participation in the elections continued, with reports of clashes and sporadic arrests. The Cyber Center of the Intelligence Organization of the Police Command in Khorasan Razavi reported the identification and blocking of 11 Instagram pages accused of 'boycotting the elections', 'disturbing public opinion', and 'propaganda against the regime'. The Khorasan Razavi police announced on Friday that these Instagram pages have been blocked and legal action has been taken against their operators, although the names of these pages and the identities of their operators were not mentioned. Some reports also indicated clashes and several arrests of individuals accused of 'disrupting the voting process' and 'buying and selling votes'. Iranian media reported on Friday that three members of the Basij were attacked in the Darabad area of Tehran. According to these reports, the three individuals, who were heading to the polling station in Shemiranat, were attacked by 'an unidentified group armed with cold weapons', and one of them is reported to be in critical condition. 'Hamshahri Online' also reported an attack on the temporary Friday prayer leader of Meybod in the polling place of this city in Yazd province by an individual with a sharp object. The attacker, whose motive is reported as 'unknown', has been arrested, and no harm was done to the temporary Friday prayer leader. On the other hand, users have shared posts about the emptiness of polling stations in areas and cities such as Isfahan, Karaj, Zahedan, Shahinshahr, Qasr Qand, and Shahr-e Qods. A citizen from Isfahan shared a video showing only a few people present to vote at the polling station. Another citizen from Karaj mentioned the 'sluggish voting' in the areas of this city. Another citizen, sharing a video from an empty polling station in Shahr-e Qods, sarcastically commented on the 'enthusiastic presence of the people' in the voting process. Reports from other cities such as Qazvin, Islamabad-e Gharb, Pakdasht, and Lamerd also indicated arrests of individuals accused of 'disrupting the voting process' and 'buying and selling votes'. Hadi Niroomand, the prosecutor of Roudsar in Gilan province, also reported the arrest of six individuals on charges of 'disrupting the order of polling stations and the election process'. Meanwhile, despite flooding in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Mohammad Karami, the governor, announced that necessary arrangements for voting in flood-affected areas of this province have been made. This comes as Babak Mahmoudi, the head of the Red Crescent Society, stated that from March 5 to 10, 26 provinces in Iran faced snow, blizzards, and flooding, affecting nearly 16,000 people. The elections began amid calls for a boycott; threats and government promises have increased.