Elections Reflected in Saturday Newspapers

Most Iranian newspapers on the 8th of Esfand dedicated their front pages to the elections held on Friday, which the Iran newspaper described as showcasing the "glory of national power," while the Etemad newspaper referred to it as a "epic of hope," and the Farhikhtegan newspaper called it the "day of people's judgment." The Mardomsalari newspaper borrowed the name of the reformists' election headquarters, "Second Step," and stated on its front page: "The people took the 'Second Step' well." The Qanoon newspaper dedicated its front page to the presence of women and girls in the elections, stating: "Everyone came, we repeat, everyone came." This headline refers to the catchphrase of Mohammad Khatami, the reformist president, who in a video message urged citizens to participate in the elections and vote for both lists of the "Reformist Coalition" in the parliamentary elections and the "People's Experts" electoral list. Khatami's emphasis on "I repeat" immediately turned into a hashtag for the reformists' election campaign on social media. Sadegh Zibakalam, who compared the elections of the 7th of Esfand to a flood that would carry away hardliners, wrote in Saturday's issue of the same newspaper: "The flood came, but it brought prosperity." The columnist cited "signs, evidence, and indications from the electoral districts" and noted that many undecided voters and many gray voters were ultimately persuaded to vote on Friday, fearing that if they did not vote, hardliners would enter the Assembly of Experts and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, which would certainly be a worse scenario, even though they had to choose between bad and worse rather than good and bad. The Etemad newspaper quoted Saeed Hajarian in evaluating the composition and role of the tenth parliament, stating: "We will face a parliament better than the fifth parliament." Hajarian told Etemad: "Previously, my prediction was that we would face a parliament similar to the fifth parliament. However, I believe that in the days leading up to the elections, there was more enthusiasm and vitality in the country, and if participation continues to rise as it started early in the morning, we will definitely face a parliament better than the fifth parliament, because when the voter turnout exceeds 50%, the balance shifts towards reformists, not hardliners." According to Etemad, Hajarian also mentioned, "I believe that if the situation continues like this, the next parliament will resemble the third parliament. I consider it very likely that the tenth parliament will be similar to the third parliament." Ahmad Gholami, in the editorial of Shargh newspaper titled "Another Season for Reformists," wrote that from now on, "representatives who go to the parliament on behalf of reformists will stir up fewer conflicts and will be more aligned with the government than loyal to their origins. This contradictory position with reformists outside the parliament may pose challenges for them." The editorial writer of Shargh pointed out that hardliners currently play the role of "old left" in Iranian politics and are "loyal to the status quo," while in the reformist camp, "from now on, representatives must respond to emerging situations, and independent reformists must adhere to their discourse," while "reformists no longer believe they are far from the ideas and positions of the left era; however, they do not believe in their serious shift from the second of Khordad, and if they want to accept it, it will be inconsistent with their interests and positions." Shargh newspaper also highlighted Mohammad Reza Khatami's assessment of developments among hardliners, quoting him: "Moderate hardliners have separated their paths." In another report, the newspaper noted ambiguities regarding the counting of votes for Mohammad Misbahian and Mohammad Taghi Misbah Yazdi, both candidates of the hardliner coalition for the Assembly of Experts in Tehran, and raised the question: "Whose vote belongs to Misbah?" It reported that both candidates sent separate letters to the Ministry of Interior, stating that their fame is "Misbah," and votes under this name should be counted for them. The Shahrevand newspaper dedicated its front page to the elections, stating: "The people's decree" and reported: "The presence of people in the elections on Friday was so extensive that even the most optimistic election observers were surprised. Compared to four years ago, polling stations, at least in Tehran, were busy, crowded, and lively." This newspaper emphasized the "power display of Telegram against paper lists in the elections," stating: "This parliamentary election can be seen as an example of the power of social networks, including Telegram, among Iranian voters," as "most voters wrote their electoral lists on their ballots based on one of the Telegram channels; thus, the use of handwritten papers or printed lists significantly decreased compared to smartphones, and this election can even be seen as the beginning of the end of paper elections in Iran." The Kayhan newspaper described the elections on its front page and in its editorial as a "passionate response of the people to the leader's call." This newspaper, which had published a report in its Thursday issue about a senior cleric's comments in Saudi Arabia regarding "not voting for Ahmad Jannati, Misbah Yazdi, and Mohammad Yazdi," wrote on Saturday that this news was published by the Lebanese al-Nashra website, but "reformist sites Eghtesad and Asr Iran denied this news, citing the statements of Abdulaziz Al-Hindi, the head of the Saudi news agency's office in Washington, which was published on his Twitter page." Kayhan also reported on the arrest of Baqer Namazi, describing him as "the old father of the infiltration network in Iran." Baqer Namazi is the father of Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American citizen who has been detained in Iran for several months. The Javan newspaper, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, wrote with the headline "A Nation's Power Display" that "the elections of the 7th of Esfand were held with complete security in various electoral districts, while in some cities, certain figures made questionable moves by declaring themselves the winners of the elections in those districts before the voting ended." Hossein Qadiyani, in a note in the Javan newspaper titled "There is no freedom in the Islamic Republic," wrote: "This is a paradise for the opposition" because "a Basij must go and give his life so that even those who do not accept the regime can vote in complete security." This newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, also referred to reports about "Mehdi Karroubi's voting," stating: "Mehdi Karroubi's voting in the elections is seen by some as a practical retreat from the claim of fraud in 2009, as the Guardian Council, which Karroubi claimed was one of the factors of fraud in the tenth presidential election, still holds the responsibility for overseeing elections." The Vatan-e-Emruz newspaper, close to the Steadfast Front, simultaneously reported on electoral violations in the parliamentary elections and quoted Lotfollah Forouzandeh, the deputy head of the hardliner coalition's election headquarters, stating: "We have received reports about violations by the reformist camp and the distribution of election cards in some districts, which we hope the governorate will address seriously." Mohammad Kazem Anbarlooee, a member of the Islamic Coalition, also wrote in an editorial titled "Democracies Without Heads" in the Resalat newspaper, stating: "The successful experience of the Islamic Republic of Iran in soft warfare with the United States during the events of July 18, 1999, and the disgraceful events of 2009 showed that if a popular system wants to emerge unscathed from the dust of soft warfare with the enemy, one must take responsibility for protecting and safeguarding the people's votes and national will. This individual is the head of democracy." The Tejarat newspaper evaluated the elections of the 7th of Esfand as the "first step of economic JCPOA," with Mansour Bi-Taraf, the editor-in-chief, emphasizing that "a development-oriented parliament is the need of the country today," reminding that the tenth parliament is the first parliament after the JCPOA and is formed while three consecutive terms of hardliners held the majority, and "economics and economic development were their low priorities." The editorial writer of Tejarat emphasized that "the Islamic Consultative Assembly should not be a 100% governmental parliament, but it should not be a parliament that adopts anti-government and anti-development economic policies." The Etemad newspaper highlighted that "economic prosperity is not possible with a passive parliament," pointing to the economic tone of the elections of the 7th of Esfand, stating: "The necessities of the Iranian economy have led economic and political elites to encourage people to participate in the elections and vote for individuals who, with their economic understanding, can outline a better future for Iran's economy." In this context, "the composition of political forces from the perspective of electoral statistics" introduced the "Niyavaran Elders Group" in the Resalat newspaper, warning about the high likelihood of public participation in the elections.