Elections and Iranian Society; Those Who Said Yes, Those Who Said No

On Friday, May 29, another election will take place. The presidential election coincides with city council elections across the country. Once again, citizens are invited to participate politically to determine the fate of the Iranian presidency for another four-year term; the twelfth presidential election. Candidate registration began on April 22, and speculation among citizens followed. Many are pessimistic. The pessimists say that the people do not determine anything. Decisions are made from above, and elections and ballot boxes are just a grand game at the national level. Many are optimistic. The optimists say this is our society, city, and country. We have a share in it, and we must fulfill our share in return. They argue that people, as citizens, have a role in the power transition process, and all of this affects the lives of the Iranian community. However, some are indifferent. They say they have never voted and will not vote. Some say they have more important things to think about than elections, such as covering the crushing costs of living below the poverty line and dealing with inflation. This week in the community magazine, we went into the city to hear about the mood surrounding the elections among citizens. What do people commuting daily through the crowded streets of Tehran think about the upcoming elections and what is their approach? Will they participate in the elections? "No! Honestly, we have participated so much, and they made promises that were not fulfilled; what is the benefit? They promise at first, but once they sit behind the presidential desk, whether from the council, the parliamentary representative, or the president, they all make promises, but they do not fulfill them; what is the point? Why! For example, if Ahmadinejad is there, why! At least he has helped weak people. As far as I remember, yes. I voted for him last time; why should I lie?" A little further away, a group of students is standing together. What about them? Will they participate in the elections? Some say yes, and some say no. They all talk together and question each other's decisions: "- Yes, with authority! Definitely! I have to consider the items later. I don't know yet; I haven't researched them, but maybe Mr. Ahmadinejad. Maybe. - Really? You're lying! - I think economically, when he was president, our situation was better, but in terms of freedom, Mr. Rouhani was better. - I feel the same way. Overall, none of them have done anything significant; whoever has been a candidate has not done much; I mean, it is getting worse day by day. Economically, the situation has not improved; I mean, it has not gotten better. For example, whoever comes in is getting worse; right now, I really don't know whether to vote or for whom to vote; I haven't thought about it yet. - I share my friends' opinion. I think whoever comes in is getting worse, not better, in my opinion. If Mr. Ahmadinejad runs, I will definitely vote for him because I think our economic situation was much better back then than now. - He has an opposing opinion. - I haven't researched much yet, but it's likely I will vote for Mr. Rouhani. - You're making a mistake. - It's the opposite, friends; I feel the situation has improved. - I haven't heard much about anyone yet. If it is between Mr. Rouhani and Mr. Ahmadinejad, I will vote for Mr. Rouhani. I feel like I don't know, but I feel that relations with the outside world were progressing better back then. At that time, it felt like there was a state of war. Now, not that there will be a war! Everyone had problems with each other. Now, for a while, it has improved; I feel that way, but of course, I will definitely consult with my family. We will vote later. But if it is, I will vote for Mr. Rouhani." For many, the election season is a time to renew their grievances. The unemployed, social victims, youth, women who carry their demands from one government to another, retirees, and more vulnerable groups, some of whom tell us that no government has ever done anything for them: "None of the previous presidencies could fulfill the demands I had. None of them make a difference to me. The powers of the presidency are such that they cannot do significant work." Or this unemployed citizen: "Right now, I am unemployed. Since last year, from a year ago until now, I am unemployed. I haven't found a job. Even where I worked, I had ten years of insurance experience. Wherever I went, they did not give me unemployment insurance. They said you worked on a project; projects do not qualify. I said, 'Sir, why?' They did not reject my insurance. They said, 'Why did they reject it?' Did they not transfer the money? They said, 'Why did they transfer it?' Whatever they say, there is no problem; it was just a project, and it does not qualify for the project. This is the justice of our country." The Ministry of Interior says about 55 million people are eligible to participate in the elections. About 1.2 million people will also be able to vote for the first time in this election. However, most citizens talk about the unfulfilled promises of past elections and say that for this reason, they are not willing to participate in another election. "Not fulfilling their promises. What they said did not happen. With the halt in the economic process of society, they cannot say that inflation has gone down. There is no vitality in our market now. In none of the sectors, in my opinion. There is no work; there was no work before, and there is none now. We are all unemployed students. There is no hope among the youth. Personally, no, even though I voted for him, but again, no, I will not vote." Many eligible voters do not have enough information to vote. Many of them, even if they want to vote, say they do not know for whom. The candidates of the twelfth presidential election in Iran have 20 days to campaign. According to election law, campaigning will continue until the end of May 27 and will be prohibited 24 hours before voting begins. In this short time, citizens who want to vote also have the opportunity to gather the necessary information about each candidate. Many still say they do not know enough about the candidates. "I want to participate, but I do not have much information about the candidates. I feel that in the last four years, for example, the events that have happened nationally have been good. I think, in my opinion, the events that have happened, one feels their goodwill more." Some others are waiting for the election debates, which have often heated up the election atmosphere in previous periods: "No, I am waiting to see what the debates will be like and who has something to say. Because the reality is that Mr. Ahmadinejad also had eight years of opportunity. He also had his chance before. If someone wants to do something, they would have done it at that time. I am still looking for the next options to see what happens." Opponents of Hassan Rouhani say he has not been strong enough: "I am 35 years old, and in these 35 years, I have not seen any president who has been with the people. They have always worked for their party. For example, during Mr. Ahmadinejad's term, some things were good, and some were bad. While he was a people's person, he cared for the people, but now if we mention Mr. Rouhani, he has not done anything in four years. He has done nothing. He could not do anything because his decision-making power was very low. Every president, not every president, every high-ranking official must have enough decision-making power to make decisions for a country like Iran. Some are afraid; they cannot make decisions. A cowardly person cannot manage their own family, let alone a country like Iran." But another group evaluates the eleventh government as successful and wants to vote for Hassan Rouhani again: "If we are to vote, we will vote for Mr. Rouhani. If we are to vote. Compared to other candidates who have been nominated, I think they have more qualifications for this job." In the short time remaining until the election day, many are talking about boycotting the elections. Some say there is no worthy candidate among the candidates of this election. Nevertheless, there are also those who consider voting necessary to prevent what they call the worsening situation in Iranian society. People like this young student who says he will definitely participate in the elections: "Absolutely. Because if I do not participate and do not choose, it means that I do not want Mr. Rouhani; some others will come; I prefer to be with the reformist side." We must wait and see which candidate from which group and faction, and more importantly, with what social and economic promises will be elected as the head of the twelfth government in Iran on May 29 this year.