Continued Calls for Boycott of the 'Election' to Replace Raisi, Emphasizing the Need to Move Beyond the Islamic Republic

While the Islamic Republic intends to finalize the process of appointing a successor to Ebrahim Raisi on Friday, July 8, various groups of people and activists emphasize the necessity of boycotting this 'show election' and moving beyond the entirety of the Islamic Republic. A group of workers from the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company issued a statement on Thursday, July 7, referring to the dire living conditions of workers who face continuous repression and the catastrophic treatment of women, stating: 'Every government that has come, regardless of its name, has worsened the situation. All these candidates have failed the test.' They wrote: 'Who should we vote for? For the defenders of free markets and privatization? For those who advocate the transfer of public assets and pension funds to stock market gamblers? For raising the retirement age? For the perpetrators of poverty and inflation? For those responsible for disrespect and repression over the decades?' They added: 'In which election should we participate? An election in which most people and even the government officials cannot participate?' According to the independent channel of Haft Tappeh workers, they emphasized: 'As Haft Tappeh workers, we have decided not to participate in the elections. We do not vote for the capitalists and the causes of our misery and that of the majority of people. We share the pain of mothers and fathers who have lost their beloved children and hope that one day workers' justice will heal their pain.' Additionally, a group of students from Tehran universities issued a statement on Wednesday, July 6, emphasizing the need to boycott the upcoming elections and declaring that the most important duty of all sectors of society is to think about improving the situation in Iran and moving beyond the current regime. These students stated in their statement: 'We boycott the regime's elections because we know that voting within the existing political framework merely means accepting repression, but we also believe that abstaining from voting can be effective only if it is accompanied by thinking about an alternative to the current situation and fighting for it.' They noted that the minimum prerequisites for any alternative to this regime must emphasize the separation of religion from politics, freedom of expression, freedom of association, the absence of supervisory oversight, and the lack of special influence of capital over the electoral and legislative process, and must be practically believed in. Political activist Hossein Ronaghi also stated in an Instagram post that the entirety of the Islamic Republic is 'just a barrier to the progress, freedom, and prosperity of Iran.' This former political prisoner said: 'The Islamic Republic has lacked any legitimacy since the beginning of its occupation of the country, and not voting is a withdrawal from benefiting the oppressive government and an impactful action in favor of collective interests.' He also emphasized that in the streets, the majority of people view the show elections and the puppet candidates with humor and disgust, and many people in Iran have boycotted the Islamic Republic's show elections for a long time. On the same day, Jawad Laleh-Mohammadi, a teacher and political prisoner, sent a message from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, calling for a boycott of the upcoming elections, saying: 'Those people who have seen the calamities and still want to participate in the elections are definitely traitors.' According to the Coordinating Council of Cultural Associations of Iran, this imprisoned teacher added: 'Those who have seen the unjust bloodshed of the dear youth of Iran and their blinded eyes, and the suffering and torture and wasted lives of political prisoners trapped in the dungeons of ignorance, poverty, and tyranny, if they do not demand their rights today without cost and do not express their opposition, they will certainly have to pay a heavy price in the near future.' Fatemeh Sepahri, a political prisoner opposing the Islamic Republic and another signatory of the statement calling for Ali Khamenei's resignation, also sent a message from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad to the officials of the Islamic Republic, saying, 'We will not participate in your circus of appointments' and 'we will soon mark the end of your tyranny.' She called the officials of the Islamic Republic 'the most ruthless rulers in centuries of history' and addressed the government candidates seeking the title of 'presidency': 'We will not bear the burden of your sins. You are the most incompetent managers of any country. We will not assign any responsibility to you, but we will soon mark the end of your tyranny.' In recent days, many political activists, including the Association of Families of Victims of Flight PS752, Mahbubeh Rezaei, Golrokh Iraei, and Narges Mohammadi, have issued separate statements urging people not to participate in the 'show and puppet elections' of the Islamic Republic. Earlier on Wednesday, Abram Pili, the Deputy Special Representative of the U.S. State Department for Iran, wrote on X: 'Unfortunately, the United States does not expect free and fair elections to be held or any change to occur in Iran, but we support the people of Iran in the face of this regime's long history of harassing and intimidating journalists, suppressing electoral coverage, and denying peaceful assembly rights.' Meanwhile, results from a poll by the Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA) show that only seven percent of the Iranian people seriously follow news about the 'elections.' Following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 30, the Islamic Republic was forced to hold elections for his successor according to law, 50 days after his death. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, recently reiterated that 'every vote for any candidate is, in fact, a confirmation of the Islamic Republic.'