Does Voting in Elections Grant Legitimacy to the Islamic Republic?

Less than two weeks before the presidential elections, the debate over whether to participate in the elections continues. Some opponents of participating in the elections argue that voting legitimizes the Islamic Republic, while some supporters say they vote to prevent a regression to the past and worsening living conditions for the people. In this week's Views program, we have discussed whether participating in the elections grants legitimacy to the Islamic Republic with two experts: Mehran Mostafavi, a member of the National Solidarity of Iranian Republicans and a political activist close to Abolhassan Banisadr, the first President of Iran residing in France, and Ali Afshari, a political analyst in Washington. Mehran Mostafavi believes that those who participate in the elections surrender their fate to the rule of the jurist, which decides all matters for the people. However, Ali Afshari states that those who vote in protest against the current situation use these symbolic opportunities for the presidency or to remove current associates of Ayatollah Khamenei from institutions like the Assembly of Experts, and their votes do not create legitimacy for the Islamic Republic.