Gomaan Institute Survey: 77% of Iranians Will Not Participate in Upcoming Elections

A recent survey by the Gomaan Institute titled 'Iranian Attitudes Towards the 1402 Elections' shows that 77% of the population will not participate in the elections scheduled for March in the Islamic Republic. According to the institute, this survey was conducted between January 30 and February 6, and only about 15% of participants expressed an intention to vote. A notable point in this survey is that around 38% of the community was unaware of the date of the parliamentary elections in March, indicating a lack of importance placed on the elections by this segment of society. Furthermore, the survey reveals that 39% of those who voted in the 2019 parliamentary elections do not intend to participate this year. Among first-time voters, 65% stated they do not plan to vote. Part of this survey included responses to the question 'Islamic Republic: Yes or No?' in a free referendum, where about 75% of respondents chose 'No to the Islamic Republic.' The Gomaan Institute also asked about the war in Gaza, with around 35% of respondents blaming Hamas as the main culprit of the conflict, while about 20% blamed Israel, and 31% held both responsible. The parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections will be held on Friday, March 2, in Iran, and the lack of participation and indifference from a large segment of society has raised concerns for the government and even for Ali Khamenei. On January 9, Khamenei made a targeted statement emphasizing the need for increased participation in elections and attributed current economic problems and crises to low public participation. Khamenei stated, 'Look at how much these enemy-affiliated media are discouraging people about the future. What is the benefit of participating in political activities? What is the benefit of participating in elections? While if attention is paid to one case, it can be seen that most of these economic weaknesses are due to the lack of public participation.' The state news agency 'IRNA' has also taken steps to justify the potential decrease in electoral participation by reviewing the level of public participation in elections in Western countries. IRNA claimed in a report that the participation rate in the U.S. midterm elections has never exceeded 50% and is significantly lower than presidential elections. Critics consider elections in the Islamic Republic to lack the minimum international standards for a healthy, competitive, and free election. The performance of government institutions in conducting elections has been questioned by critics since the establishment of the Islamic Republic. While Islamic Republic officials claim elections impact the country's fate, Ali Khamenei, as the leader, controls all decision-making centers, and no decisions in various political, economic, cultural, and social areas can be implemented without his approval. Gomaan is an independent research institute registered in the Netherlands that focuses on measuring and analyzing the views and opinions of Iranians. Yesterday, amid concerns from Islamic Republic officials about widespread public non-participation in the upcoming government elections in March, a number of activists and former political prisoners emphasized their determination not to vote. Ten political activists and former political prisoners, in a series of messages titled 'Vote Without Vote,' which VOA has accessed, announced that they would not participate in any of the Islamic Republic's voting processes. They cited reasons such as '45 years of crimes and treachery by the Islamic Republic,' 'suppression and killing of protesters,' 'poverty and corruption,' and 'misery and destruction of the homeland and compatriots' as reasons for not participating in the elections. The messages titled 'Vote Without Vote' belong to Sohrab Hassan Khani, Mazaher Heydari, Behrouz Izadi Rad, Yashar Ghazai, Omid Fathi, Arshia Vazifeh, Ali Jahaniyan, Ghasem Ghafari, Mehdi Savar Aliya, and Pouya Shahabi.